


The Great Divide

by w0nderwriter



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-14 16:11:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 57,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18951553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/w0nderwriter/pseuds/w0nderwriter
Summary: "You're someone to me, Riku."In which the Great Divide, an entity responsible for maintaining the balance between light and dark, is given to a young islander by the name of Mina.Or, alternatively, in which Mina is gifted with the honor of keeping the universe's balance all while attempting to save the worlds, find her missing friends, and convince everyone she does NOT have a crush on one of her aforementioned missing friends.





	1. Prelude

   The story in which you are about to discover is not new, nor is it even remotely recent. This story has been told over the years, originating at the moment in which the worlds that were once connected became separated. "Once upon a time" simply cannot do it justice, for this tale is not just a myth or mere folklore. This is the true story of the beginnings of the treacherous fight between the light and the dark.

   Long ago, the people lived in unity and absolute peace. They bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light, as it was so incredibly tender and welcoming that people wanted more and more of it. Soon, their desires became so extreme that the people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And so, darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything until the world disappeared. However, small fragments of light survived... in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now.

   "Hey, wait up!"

   "Too slow, Sora! See you at the finish line!"

   The brown-haired, sky-eyed, four-year-old boy, Sora panted heavily. Sora chased after his best friend, Riku, who was five-years-old. Riku continued to dart forward and leave his friends behind in his dust. Sora glanced over his shoulder, spotting a blonde girl he and Riku had known since... well, forever. Sora's eyebrows shot up once he realized she had been walking instead of running alongside him and Riku.

   "Hey, Mina! Why aren't you running?" Sora called out. Upon hearing his question, Riku found himself slowing to a complete stop. Sora, who had been running without looking at what was ahead of him, bumped directly into Riku. "Oof!"

   Meanwhile, the silver-haired boy with sea foam eyes gawked at Mina, who was also five-years-old, and her casual pace. "Did you forget, Mina?" Riku asked in a rather taunting, but overall amused tone. "It's a _race_." 

   Mina giggled and tucked her hands behind her back. She approached them quickly, speaking as she walked. "Well, I _was_ running, but then I realized that there was no finish line," explained Mina. Her blonde hair was neatly braided into one French braid, loose pieces framing the five-year-old's face. Her brown eyes sparkled a shade of gold as the setting sun shined on her.

   Sora lifted his head to the side. Curiosity was evident on his face. "Sure there is!" he declared. He pointed a finger out toward the distance. "It's over there!"

   Mina shook her head. "No, Riku just made it up!" argued Mina. "Games aren't fun when you make up the rules as you go, you know."

   Riku paused for a moment. It seemed like he was thinking over her words. "Hm..." trailed off Riku. "Touché, Mina!" Mina and Sora wore matching puzzled faces. Before either could ask what that strange word meant, Riku added, "It means good point." He grinned eagerly. "Fine. This time, we'll race to the new, official finish line, which is..." Riku spun around and searched the island for a brief moment. "There!" He pointed at a nearby tree. "To that palm tree with the two Paopu fruit."

   Mina nodded eagerly. "Alright!" she cheered as Sora nodded his head furiously.

   The three children were about to make a run for the tree on Riku's mark when a voice interrupted the trio. "Sora, Riku!" a woman's voice called. "It's time to head back home!" The trio looked back to discover Sora's mother as she approached them.

   "Aw, already?" whined Sora.

   Riku nudged Sora. He smiled politely at Sora's mom and used what Mina liked to call his "grown-up" voice. Riku replied, "Okay! Thank you for coming and getting us, Sora's mom!"

   Sora's mother nodded, smiling cordially. She glanced back at Mina. "Will you be alright going by yourself, or would you like me to walk you home?" offered Sora's mother.

   Mina shook her head. "No thank you!" she enthusiastically declined, attempting to copy Riku's grown up voice. She only barely succeeded. "I'll be okay. My house isn't far at all." The woman nodded, and after Riku and Sora said their brief goodbyes, they headed on their way.

   As aforementioned, children rebuilt the lost world through their own light that is simply unmatched. But the true light sleeps deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open, and the true light will return. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide any and all. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away.

   However, with light, there must be darkness, and with darkness, there exists light. Shadows cannot live without the light, which creates these said shadows. The two have fought for dominance over one another for centuries upon centuries, never realizing even for a moment that they need each other to thrive. The balance is what is needed for peace to reign upon all of the worlds. Though seemingly impossible to achieve, the universe has given us many opportunities to do this. The balance between light and dark is known simply as the Great Divide.

   As the story states, long ago, there was a prophecy that stated all of the powers of light and dark will repeatedly collide for dominance, just as they have for centuries. This we know. However, amongst those who are light and dark, there exists a being that serves as the balance between them, thus allowing both light and dark to live and grow. The being divides the light and dark, balancing them out. This is how the glorious entity of the Great Divide came to be.

   In our story thus far, we have met three individuals. There is Sora, who is destined to hold the ancient key, and whose strong heart and its connections will defeat darkness once and for all. There is Riku, who will fall to darkness, but learn not to fear it. He will discover the true power that comes with facing one's fears. Finally, there is Mina.

   Mina had always felt like she was living her life sleeping with her eyes open. It was like she was alert, yet there was so much she was unaware of. There were so many things she had yet to have learned, and the only thing that was preventing this was herself. It was like everything she needed to know and understand was right in front of her, yet she couldn't reach out far enough to grab the knowledge with her bare hands. It was almost like she wasn't quite ready to know...

   "Aw, c'mon, Mina!"

   The now 15-year-old girl jumped upward at the sound of her name, her heart racing with surprise. She whipped around hurriedly as the sun beat down on her body. Her blonde hair moved with her motions. Growing up over the past ten years, Mina traded out her braid for beach waves that fell just below her shoulders. Mina's expression of alert soon faded, for once she knew who had called out to her, Mina smiled.

   "Don't you know better than to scare a girl like that?" teased Mina. She placed her hands on her hips in a faux menacing manner as she looked up just a tad to see her friend. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, Riku!"

   Riku's jaw fell agape. "Hey, you can't be mad at me! I should be mad at you!" fired back Riku.

   Mina's eyebrows shot upward. "Huh? Why?" Mina wondered. She allowed her arms to drop by her side as she tilted her head. "I didn't do anything wrong, Riku, I swear!"

   Riku shook his head, practically face-palming himself. His silver hair blew past his face as the breeze shifted directions. "You said you wouldn't get distracted, but you look pretty distracted to me," declared Riku.

   Mina paused. She knew that he was right, but she was too prideful to admit it. She was supposed to have been working on the raft that she, Riku, Sora, and their friend of almost ten years, Kairi had been constructing for what felt like forever. Together, the four of them would sail to the end of the world and look for other worlds to explore with their raft. Everyone was meant to be diligently working toward the progression of the raft, but there Mina was... daydreaming with her toes in the sand.

   Though this wasn't anything new. Mina was born and raised on an island known as Destiny Islands. She was one of the few in history to have been born on Destiny Islands itself rather than a neighboring island like Sora and Riku. The islanders who knew of this believed that Mina was destined for greatness. After all, the last people who were born specifically on Destiny Islands like Mina ended up fighting in a great war.

   But how was Mina supposed to do something great when she was restricted to a few tiny islands? Because of this, Mina became one of the more eager kids in the group that wanted the raft to be built.

   "Aw, don't be like that, Riku," insisted Mina. "I was just..." She trailed off, thinking of an excuse to tell the boy. "I was just taking a break!"

   Riku folded his arms over his chest, staring at the girl with his blue-green eyes. "A break?" repeated the boy. He seemed skeptical.

   Mina held her head high. "Mhm!"

   "For 30 minutes?"

   Mina's brown eyes widened. She hadn't even realized where the time went. Due to her pride, however, Mina decided to mess with Riku just a little bit. "What, were you waiting on me?" Mina asked with a sweet smile on her face. Mischief was written in her eyes.

   Riku had to take a step back. Now, he was thrown off. "Huh?"

   Mina giggled innocently. "I can't believe you were waiting on me, Riku!" continued to tease Mina. She laughed. "If you wanted to spend time with me, all you had to do was ask, silly! It's not like we haven't known each other since diapers!"

   "Wha—Hey, it's not like that!" Riku attempted to defend. His cheeks burned a bright shade of red that could've easily been dismissed as the beginnings of a sunburn.

   Continuing to laugh, Mina took a step closer to him. She had to lean on him for support as she hysterically giggled. "It's alright, Riku," insisted Mina. "I know you have a crush on me. You don't have to be ashamed. I'm pretty awesome, in case you forgot."

   Riku smacked her arm—not hard enough to inflict pain of course, just hard enough to hopefully get Mina to leave him alone. "Cut it out, Mina," he whined. He turned away from her in an attempt to hide his blushing cheeks. "I don't like you or anyone... not like that, at least!"

   "But you do like me. You just said so!"

   "I—Hey, stop twisting my words!"

   Before Mina could continue to tease Riku, a new voice grasped their attention. "I don't believe it!" exclaimed a female's perky voice.

   The two looked over to see 14-year-old Kairi. Her pixie-cut, red hair was tucked behind her ears. Her blue-violet eyes were wide with amusement as Sora trailed behind her. It looked like he had just woken up, for his spiky, brown hair was messier than usual.

   Sora, Riku, and Mina were introduced to Kairi about ten years ago. Riku and Mina were five while Sora was four. Sora was the most excited to meet Kairi since she was the same age as him at the time. However, Mina was just enthusiastic about having another girl in the group. The four of them got along perfectly, remaining best friends for ten years straight.

   "I was looking for supplies for the raft when I found this lazy bum fast asleep on the beach," Kairi explained. She motioned toward Sora. "Then, when I finally got him to wake up, I find you two messing around! Am I the only one who wants to leave these islands?"

   Mina had always been a close friend to Kairi. She was close to even calling Kairi her best friend, but Mina had a hard time choosing between the three. Mina loved Kairi, Riku, and Sora the same amount. Mina was close to Kairi because she was the only other girl in the group, and Mina was close to Riku because they seemed to naturally gravitate toward one another, as well as the fact that they were the same age. Although Mina and Sora weren't as close to each other as they were the others, they still appreciated each other and their friendship.

   "Gosh, sorry, Kai," insisted Mina, genuine. "I was working on the raft, really! Riku, over here, was distracting me with the huge crush he has on me."

   Riku's eyes widened again. "Would you stop saying that!?" the boy cried out.

   The other three just laughed. "You'll have to catch me first!" Mina exclaimed before taking off. Riku was quick to run after her, knowing he was a lot stronger and faster than the blonde. Sora couldn't help but want to join the chase, causing him to run after them, too.

   "Wait for me!" yelled Kairi, laughing as she tried to keep up with them, kicking the sand behind her.

   And so, the four teenagers continued to live their lives for the next few days until their lives turned completely upside down. There's Sora, the child of light. There's Riku, the child of dawn. There's Kairi, the only Princess of Heart with the ability to wield an ancient key like the rest of her childhood friends.

   And, finally, there's Mina, who not only hadn't a single idea about how she was the balance between the light and dark, but who also didn't know about the dozens of people who wanted her on their side for the sake of winning the ongoing fight between two opposing parties.

   This is the story of Mina and her struggle with maintaining the balance between the light and the dark, otherwise known as the Great Divide.


	2. Head in the Clouds

   _Mina sharply gasped. She forcibly threw her body against the floor, dodging as her darkness-corrupted best friend swung his weapon at her. "Riku, stop this!" she cried out. Tears threatened to spill out of her brown eyes, but she had to stay strong._

_Ignoring her, Riku turned and focused his attention back on Sora. Sora and Mina's friends, Donald and Goofy continued to fight against Riku without an ounce of hesitation. But there Mina was, frozen and full of trepidation. Panicked thoughts continued to roll through her mind. Even Mina couldn't have predicted what she was about to do next. Her hands shook violently, her knees feeling like they were made of jelly. Slowly, she began to rise again, wiping the blood from her face._

_Without warning, there was a flash of light, followed by the screams of Mina._

_"Mina? Mina, no! Mina!"_

**DAY ONE**

   "Mina? Mina!"

   "I swear they do this every day."

   "At least Mina isn't that bad about it. Meanwhile, Roxas daydreams every 10 minutes!"

   Mina's ears perked up once she heard her name being spoken for the third time in the past 30 seconds. She furrowed her kept eyebrows together, realizing that she had been staring at her journal with her head in the clouds. Mina released a heavy breath—one she didn't even know she had been holding.

   "What a strange daydream..." Mina whispered to herself. She reached up, feeling where the blood had been exposed on her face in the daydream. All she felt was the indention of a scar she'd had for what felt like forever. "Weird..."

   "Are you back or is your head still in the clouds?" the voice of her good friend, Hayner queried. Mina snapped her head upward, removing her hand from her face. She attempted to shake off the thoughts regarding her daydream. It just felt so real...

   Mina, now 16-years-old, blinked a few times before realizing what he was saying. The boy observed her carefully, awaiting a response. Mina, who had always been quick on her feet, flashed a smile at him. "Geez, Hayner, someone's impatient today," Mina naturally teased. "Did someone put expired milk in your cereal this morning?"

   Hayner stuck his tongue out at her while their other friends, Olette and Pence laughed. She closed her journal and pressed it against her chest. Mina never went anywhere without that damned journal. She liked to document her daydreams in it. Sometimes she would write them out like a short story, other times she would draw them out. Mina was never a fantastic artist, but it helped when she didn't know how to describe her ever-so vivid daydreams.

   The blonde glanced over to her left to see the boy she had always viewed as a little brother. He seemed to be staring off into space, just like how Mina had been moments before. Olette, who had followed Mina's faze toward the daydreaming boy, smiled softly. "You'd think Mina and Roxas are brother and sister with how similar they are," pointed out Olette. "They even daydream at the same time now."

   Hayner shook his head. "Nah," he denied. "Roxas is too ugly to be Mina's little brother."

   Mina cocked an eyebrow upward. "Hey, no one's allowed to call Roxas ugly but me, pretty boy," the blonde defended. They all shared a laugh at the short-lived moment between the two blondes.

   Mina was lucky to have friends like Roxas, Hayner, Pence, and Olette. They had always been great company to have, even if the four of them were all one year younger than Mina. The minor difference in age didn't matter to them, especially Roxas.

   Roxas didn't know what he would do without Mina. She was practically his big sister at this point in his perplexing life. She was always by his side, and vise-versa. They did many things together like siblings would, including argue and threaten to beat up anyone who looked at their "sibling" the wrong way. That seemed to be how close they had become. Because although Roxas and Mina had a wonderful group of friends, the two of them seemed to have a shared belief that something about them and the town they lived in was just... off.

   At least, that was how Mina felt. Twilight Town was such an eerie place to live in. She felt like she'd lived there her whole life, but whenever she'd have an existential crisis or have those daydreams or hers, Mina would think otherwise.

   Mina's daydreams consisted of flashes that felt like they went on for eternity. They were always about her in different places. Mina's favorite was the one where she was at the beach with three other people. She didn't know the names of the places she went to in her daydreams; however, she did manage to pick up the names of the three kids she was always with. Sora, Riku, and Kairi—those were the names Mina always heard during her episodes. Mina didn't know who they were though.

   Mina hummed to herself, staring at Roxas. She stood up from where she had been sitting while Hayner, Pence, and Olette began to carry on with their conversation again. At the moment, Mina wasn't too interested in their discussion. Instead, she made her way to Roxas's side and nudged him. The boy perked up immediately, washed with surprised. It vanished quickly once he saw the friendly face of Mina. He offered her a small smile.

   "Man, doesn't it just tick you off?" Hayner asked as the two tuned back into the conversation.

   "Yeah!" agreed Pence. There was a distinct frown on his face. "That's just wrong."

   Olette nodded. "Seifer's gone too far this time."

   Hayner rose from where he had been sitting on a box in the alley, otherwise known as the group's usual spot. "I mean, it's true that stuff's been stolen around town," started the blond. He folded his arms over his chest, pacing, "and we've got a score to settle with Seifer and everything. So if he wants to think we did it, I can't really blame him. See... that's not what really bugs me. What really bugs me is that he's goin' around tellin' everybody we're the thieves! Now the whole town and their mothers are treating us like the Klepto Club!" Hayner turned to Roxas and Mina. "Have you ever been this ticked off before in your life? Cause I haven't! Nuh-uh. NEVER!" He sighed. "Now... what to do..."

   Mina pursed her lips. Thieves had been going around all over Twilight Town the entire summer taking things that didn't belong to them. Frankly, Mina was sick of it. She had initially felt empathetic because she knew that some people stole to provide for their families and loved ones; however, now, it was just becoming infuriating. Everyone just wanted the stealing to stop.

   "Well... uh..." trailed off Roxas, pondering about a plan. "We could find the thieves. That would set the record straight."

   Mina's eyes widened at the idea. "Wait—" she started.

   Pence stood up. "That sounds fun," interrupted Pence.

   "Guys, we can't!" exclaimed Mina, rising to her feet. "The police have been on it all summer. They'll take care of it. We should just wait."

   Olette tilted her head to the side in surprise. "Huh? That doesn't sound like you at all, Mina," pointed out the brunette. "You're always the first one to jump into all the reckless stuff."

   Mina nodded. "Sure, but now that I'm 16, I have to start being responsible for all of you idiots. It's the polite thing to do," she said. "How about this—let me go. I'll stop the thieves from stealing while you guys stay safe."

   Pence shook his head. "No way!"

   Roxas stood up by her side. "There's no way you can find the thieves all by yourself. There's too much area to cover," he pointed out. He turned toward Hayner. "What do you think?"

   Hayner paused to consider the idea, his arms folded over his chest again. "What about Seifer?"

   "Well," started Roxas, "first, we've gotta clear our names. Once we find the real culprit, everyone will get off our backs."

   Mina was about to contribute to the conversation, seeing as how there's no way she could keep all four of her friends from looking for the thieves. However, Pence loudly gasping distracted her. "Oh no!" yelled Pence. He looked into the camera he was holding. "Our — are gone!" Pence's eyes widened when he realized he couldn't say the word he was trying to say.

   Hayner, Mina, Roxas, and Olette jumped forward. "All our — are gone?" Hayner asked. He gasped, placing a hand over his throat. Why couldn't he say that word?

   Olette furrowed her eyebrows together. "You can't say —! Why not?"

   Mina watched as she and her friends couldn't say the word they had been trying to say. "What the hell...?" trailed off Mina.

   "But you guys do understand what I'm saying, right?" Pence worriedly asked. "Our — are gone!"

   "Stolen..." Roxas realized. "And not just the —. The word —! They stole it, too!"

   "What kinda thief is that?" whined Hayner. "Seifer could've never pulled that off."

   Mina rubbed the back of her head. She was just as confused as the others. "Well, at least the thieves are good at their jobs," mumbled Mina. She shook her head. "Alright, now I'm sick of these guys. It's time to strike back!"

   The others all nodded in agreement, beginning to take off in another direction. Mina had only taken a few steps forward after them when she heard a thud come from behind her. "Huh?" Mina wondered. She spun around, gasping when she realized Roxas was unconscious on the ground. "What...? Roxas!" She hurried back over to the golden-haired boy. "Roxas! Roxas, are you okay? Wake up!"

   She was about to check his pulse when slowly, Roxas's bright blue eyes fluttered open. "W...What just happened?" Roxas mumbled. He pushed himself to sit up, only to have Mina hug him tightly. "Ow... Mina, you're gonna kill me if you don't loosen up."

   Mina released her hold on the boy. "Sorry, sorry," she sheepishly apologized. "Don't you ever do that again. Speaking of, what just happened? Did you fall?"

   Roxas paused. "I... I don't know," he admitted. "I could've sworn I heard someone..." He turned around, but there was no one there. "Something about my heart..." He placed a hand over his heart.

   Mina gave him a look full of worry. "You need to get more sleep," she protectively told him, offering him a hand to help him up.

   Roxas shook his head. "It's not that," admitted Roxas. "I get enough sleep. It's the dreams... the ones I told you about. They're messing with my head, Mina." Roxas frowned. He looked down at his shoes. "They feel so real. I can't help but wonder if they really are. They're all about that boy..."

   Mina pressed her lips into a line, mumbling, "I know the feeling..." She closed her hand into a fist. "These daydreams are getting worse and worse, but..." She smiled at him confidently and encouragingly. "I know they're not real. I've never lived anywhere other than here. I've never gone on crazy adventures. I've always lived here in Twilight Town."

   Roxas sighed. "I wish I was as sure of myself as you are," said Roxas, discouraged. 

   Mina placed an encouraging hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't beat yourself up, Roxas," she told him. "I'm sure these dreams are just dreams, and nothing more. That boy isn't real. It's just a figment of your imagination." She placed a hand on his cheek. "As long as we have each other, no harm can touch us."

   Roxas placed his hand over hers. He looked at her with a faint, friendly smile on his face. "You're right," he said.

   This time, Mina grinned widely. "And don't you forget it!"

   Roxas laughed, nudging her in a brotherly manner. "You never let me forget it," he whined, causing Mina to laugh, too.

   Mina just wished she could protect her friends for a little while longer. Little did she know, she was going to start missing her simple life in Twilight Town before the week was over.

   Mina would never admit it to Roxas, but she had been having strange dreams, too. They weren't anything like her daydreams. If anything, Mina thought her dreams at night were stranger than her daydreams. At least Mina could remember the details of her daydreams. Meanwhile, Mina couldn't remember a single thing about her dreams in the morning. All she knew was that they were peculiar.

   Not knowing what her dreams were about was eating Mina away inside, but she couldn't tell anyone especially Roxas. She knew it would just freak him out. The mere possibility that these dreams actually meant something would scare Roxas, and if Roxas was freaked out, then Mina would be freaked out. She couldn't focus on the problem if they were both freaking out about these weird dreams. Instead, Mina knew she had to focus on the problem alone... for now, at least.

   When Mina laid her head down at night, she couldn't help but wonder that perhaps this time, she'd remember her dreams when she woke up in the morning. Usually, she was disappointed by the outcome, but Mina never stopped hoping.

   _Her dream that evening unraveled similar to how every dream of hers started. Mina walked throughout an empty hallway, looking around curiously. She peered out the large windows to see the grass and the night sky. She was high up in the building she was in from the looks of it. In her dominant hand was a large object that reminded her of a key. Mina stared at it for a moment, reminding herself of what it was. "Keyblade," she whispered._

   _Mina continued to walk through the hallway, jumping with surprise as black creatures materialized before her. She took a few seconds, attempting to name them. "Heartless!" Mina yelled. Without hesitation, the blonde sprinted into the masses._

   _She moved as though it were reflex. As the crowd of Heartless continued to fight, Mina used her Keyblade to take them out. One by one, the Heartless disappeared with each hit. The monsters couldn't even get close to the blonde, for she fought against them like she had been doing it all of her life._

   _Mina was almost surprised to see how the Heartless went down so quickly and easily. Once they were all gone, Mina's Keyblade de-materialized out of her hand. She continued the march forward until she reached the large door at the end of the hallway. Mina pulled it open, feeling déjà vu. It was like Mina had done this hundreds of times, which made it even stranger how she couldn't recall a single detail when she woke up. Strangely, Mina was aware of this fact in her dream world._

   _Sitting inside the room was an elderly wizard sitting at a desk. He appeared to have been expecting the blonde. Mina smiled at the familiar man. "Hi—!"_

   _"State your name and business," interrupted the man._

   _Mina frowned, visibly sulking. "Come on, Master Yen Sid," started Mina. "Do we really have to do this every time I go to sleep? It feels like it's been forever!"_

   _Master Yen Sid nodded. "Until you are able to recite the details of your life in your waking world just as you can in your sleeping world, you will retell your story over and over again," explained the wizard. "You know this, child. Now, state your name and business."_

   _Mina puffed her cheeks out, nodding in defeat at the information she already knew. "My name is Mina. I'm in training to become a Keyblade Master as an apprentice under Master Yen Sid," explained the blonde, strolling toward his desk._

   _"Summon your Keyblade," ordered Master Yen Sid. Mina did so without hesitation. "Good. You're getting faster and acting without hesitation. However, it is important to remember that impulsiveness can be an enemy just as much as it is a friend. Now, what is your origin, child?"_

   _Mina didn't hesitate to answer his question. "I was born and raised on Destiny Islands with my parents. When I was really young, I received the great responsibility of beholding the Great Divide," continued Mina._

   _"Good," Master Yen Sid said. "What is it and how do you hold this honor?"_

   _Mina placed a finger under her chin. "Well, long story short, the Great Divide is the name of a very powerful entity that exists as the balance between the light and the dark, for one cannot live without the other. It's been around since the beginning of all the wars between the light and the dark." She paused. "Can I at least get a chair?"_

   _Master Yen Sid shook his head, causing Mina to sigh. The blonde decided to continue. "That's alright. Anyways, the power of the Great Divide is passed from person to person. There is no direct link between people, usually. The power is passed once the holder passes away or when the entity believes you are no longer worthy. The Great Divide merely chooses who it thinks is worthy. When I was young, the one who held the responsibility of the Great Divide lived in a world far from my own. His name was Ventus."_

   _Mina continued, "Ventus was chosen because he was like me. He had a perfect balance of light and dark in his heart. One day, a man by Master Xehanort wanted to use Ventus for his own propaganda to summon the True Kingdom Hearts. He wanted to do this through the use of a weapon called the X-Blade. The only way to make this X-Blade is by taking the holder of the Great Divide and sacrificing him or her. Master Xehanort wanted to do this, but Ventus wasn't strong enough at the time to do such a thing. He couldn't tap into the light and dark in his heart the way Master Xehanort wanted him to, so Master Xehanort did something very risky. He took Ventus and forcibly split the light and dark from within his heart."_

   _The blonde placed a hand over her heart. Sometimes she imagined how painful this act must've been. Mina shook her head, continuing with her answer, "The result of this was the light and dark in Ventus's heart taking the form of two people. Ventus took on the light, whereas his other half, Vanitas took on the dark. The moment Master Xehanort separated Ventus's heart in half, Ventus lost the ability to be the true holder of the Great Divide. The Great Divide needed a new person to take on its responsibility and somehow managed to find me. Since I'm the holder of the Great Divide, I can wield the Keyblade."_

   _Master Yen Sid nodded, pleased with Mina's answer. "Excellent work, Mina," praised Master Yen Sid. "Now, tell me more about your childhood. How did you end up here today?" He waved his hand, causing Mina to jump in surprise. A chair appeared from behind her._

   _Exhilarated, Mina nodded her head gratefully toward the wizard. "Thank you, Master Yen Sid!" she exclaimed, sitting down. She thought about his question for a moment. "Well, growing up, I remember I had a lot of friends, but my best friends were Riku, Kairi, and Sora. I was born on Destiny Islands, but Riku and Sora were born on a neighboring island. We're still not really sure where Kairi was born though."_

   _Mina smiled at the memory of her friends. She missed them. Her smile soon faded upon remembering what happened to her home._

   _"After our island was swallowed by darkness, I woke up in Traverse Town. I learned from a few people living there that those who survive the destruction of their worlds end up there. I couldn't find anyone I knew. My parents, my friends... they were all gone. That was when I found Sora fighting off those creatures of darkness I now know are called Heartless. I ran to help him, and that was when we discovered that we both could wield the Keyblade," explained Mina. "He and I met our good friends Donald and Goofy. Together, we traveled the worlds and beat up Heartless, sealing them from the darkness. It was our job to protect the worlds from bad guys like Ansem and Maleficent. They just wanted to spread darkness. They were... insane. They believed that by kidnapping the seven Princesses of Heart, which included Kairi, they would be able to overthrow the light. And somehow, Riku got dragged into it, but he was corrupted by the darkness."_

   _Mina looked down at her lap, feeling the scar on her face from the final fight against him. "I don't know what happened to him or Kairi or... anyone really. During the final fight against Riku, I realized that Sora was the only one who could overthrow the darkness, especially the darkness in Riku. I didn't know how to use my powers the Great Divide gifted me. All I knew how to do was keep the light and dark balanced. But we needed the light to win, and the only one who could make that happen was Sora," Mina continued. "I sorta let my instincts take over. If I couldn't use my light to overthrow the darkness, I knew Sora could. So I conjured as much light as I could and gave it to Sora to help him save us all."_

   _Master Yen Sid nodded once again, seeing that this story was true. "And then what?"_

   _"And then..." trailed off Mina, struggling to remember the details. "I just remember darkness. It was all so hazy. I unleashed so much light from my heart, that my heart was left unbalanced." She placed her hand over her staid beating heart. "It was so painful feeling so much negativity, so much darkness. I really thought I had died, but instead, the Great Divide saved me. It transported me to you, where you helped me begin to recover. You said the first time you saw me that you could feel the Great Divide from within me despite not ever seeing it before. You decided to put me in some... magic-induced coma and transport my body into a datascape version of a world called Twilight Town. There, I've been recovering and allowing the light to slowly build inside of me again. I've lived there ever since I nearly died from my heart's imbalance."_

   _"It's good that you remember this Twilight Town you're living in is fake. It's all data," reminded Master Yen Sid._

   _Mina nodded. "Yeah. If only I could remember that when I'm awake," replied Mina._

   _The wizard hummed. "This is your Mark of Mastery exam, young Mina," told Master Yen Sid. "You've been training diligently every night in your dreams, even if you cannot remember it when you awaken. You can see that the darkness in your heart is finally almost completely balanced with the light again, as there are fewer creatures of the night in your mind now. You've been practicing your skills and your memory. That's very good. You've made excellent progress. The moment when you remember these details when you're awake is when your Mark of Mastery exam will end, and you will become a true Keyblade Master."_

   _Mina grinned wildly at this. Her lips pulled into a crooked smile. "I can't wait!" she exclaimed. She sighed, remembering that she'd have to leave behind her friends. "But... leaving everyone behind is gonna be hard, especially Roxas, Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Mostly Roxas. He's like my little brother now."_

   _Master Yen Sid went on to admit, "That makes sense. He is Sora's Nobody, and it appears that you and Sora grew very close throughout your travels last year before you were struck down. Your attachment is understandable and expected."_

   _Mina nodded. "Sora and I were never as close as we were to Riku and Kairi growing up," explained Mina. "But after our adventure, he's basically my little brother." She smiled at her memories of him. "I miss him a lot. I miss them all."_

   _Master Yen Sid paused to think for a moment. "Frankly, I have a hard time deciphering how it is even possible for my magic to have put you in that fake Twilight Town instead of somewhere else inside your mind. Still, that is a minor detail—a kink I'm still working out." He paused. "However, these other friends of yours are not the real Hayner, Pence, and Olette. They are data. You must remember that your mission of succeeding in your Mark of Mastery exam is what's important. The sooner you become a Keyblade Master, the sooner you can tackle your new responsibilities."_

   _Mina nodded. "Right!" she declared, rising to her feet. The 16-year-old was eager to come back to the real world. She frowned. "I just wish there was a way to tell myself that the daydreams I've been having are real."_

   _"Daydreams?" repeated Master Yen Sid, intrigued. "What are these daydreams you speak of?"_

   _Mina sat back down in her seat. "I've been having these weird daydreams all summer. At first, I wasn't sure what to think of them because I've always been one to daydream out of nowhere, but these are so real. It's like I'm daydreaming all of my memories. They're slowly coming back to me, but the me in fake Twilight Town doesn't know what to make of them," answered Mina. "It's like I can only remember everything in my dream world because it's a deeper part of my mind where my memories are hiding."_

   _"Hm..." trailed off Master Yen Sid. "Perhaps this means you're getting ready to come back to the real world outside of the data."_

   _"It's about time!" declared Mina. She leaned back in her seat. "I'm just ready to get back out there and figure out what's happening in the real world."_

   _Master Yen Sid stiffly chuckled. "Indeed. Now, come along, young Mina. It's time for more training."_

   _Mina perked up. The motivated girl was ready to take on anything. Because frankly, she would do anything to snap out of the daze she was stuck in._


	3. Roll with the Punches

  

 

**DAY TWO**

 

 

_15-year-old Mina loved Destiny Islands more than anything she'd ever known in her life. She was born and raised on that island; therefore, she knew every little nook and cranny there was. She knew of every little fun fact and all of the little rumors (whether they were true or not) that had originated in regards to the island. And still, after all of these years, Mina could never get enough of Destiny Islands, even if she desperately wanted to leave and chase after her fate._

_Her favorite spot on the island was always on the shore at the great divide between the water and the sand. She loved just standing or sitting on the sand and watching the tides roll. Something about the beach specifically reminded Mina of all the good things that existed in her world._

_Mina was sitting by the shoreline when she noticed someone sit down beside her. She didn't have to look twice for her to know it was Riku. "I thought I'd find you here," said the silver-haired boy. "Sora and Kairi were giving me a migraine."_

_The blonde released a soft chuckle. "That's Sora and Kai for you," replied Mina. She took another sip of her refreshing beverage._

_Riku glanced down at the cup in her hands. "What's that?" he wondered._

_Mina held it toward him. "A smoothie," answered the blonde. "Selphie made it 'specially for me because I kept complaining about how exceptionally hot it was today. Wanna try it?"_

_Riku glanced at it, thinking for a moment. Then, he shrugged and took it from her hands. He took a swig of it, his eyes lighting up with delight. "Whoa," he commented. "Selphie made that?" He passed the cup back to her. "What's in it?"_

_Mina hummed, pondering for a moment. "Uh let's see," Mina began. "Strawberries, Kiwis, Paopu fruit... I think there are Mangoes, too—"_

_"Wait, what did you just say?" interrupted Riku with wide eyes._

_Mina gave him a judging glance. "What, do you not like Mangoes or something?" she asked before pausing, realizing what she had just said. "Oh my God. Selphie put Paopu fruit in the smoothie..."_

_"And we just shared it," realized Riku. Legend has it that Paopu fruit are so magical and special that whoever shared it, their destinies became intertwined. Mina and Riku stared at each other with wide eyes for a moment before Mina burst out with laughter. "What's so funny?"_

_"N-Nothing!" stuttered Mina, unable to control her laughter. "I just... I love Selphie, but she's so stupid sometimes!" Riku snorted at her childlike glee. It was endearing to him. She sighed in an attempt to calm herself down. "Sorry about that, Riku. I know you wanted to share that fruit with someone else." She pretended to cough. "Ahem, ahem, Kairi ahem."_

_Riku's eyes grew to the size of bowling balls. "Wh-What!? No, I..." Riku trailed off. Mina had clearly caught him off guard. He rubbed the back of his head. "Am I that obvious?"_

_Mina nodded, taking another sip of her smoothie. "You and Sora are more obvious than when I'm sweet talking my parents," pointed out the teenager. She shook her head. "Don't worry. Kairi's completely oblivious."_

_Riku shook his head. He was surprised at how honest and observant Mina was. He was always used to her playful and cheerful, yet snarky persona—the one that made him gravitate more than anyone in his friend group. Perhaps it was because Mina was the only one who could keep up with his wit by replying with smartass remarks._

_As the boy continued to stare at her, his head in the clouds, Mina peered out at the setting sun and the calm waters. "Do you really think we'll find other worlds?" wondered Mina. It was just two days before the gang planned on setting sail, and Mina couldn't help but be a little worried. "I mean, what'll happen if we just sail to the end of the world, end up making a big circle, and end up back here? What if we did all of this for nothing? Like—?"_

_"Whoa, whoa, chill out, Mina," interrupted Riku. "Where's all this coming from? Just yesterday you were ready to take on the world and find your destiny!"_

_Mina rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I just get nervous sometimes... for all of us, not just me," admitted the blonde. "I just want to make sure all of us are alright, you know?" The setting sun shined directly on her face, causing her eyes to turn a warmer golden-brown combination. "Do you think the four of us will always be together?"_

_"Well," began Riku playfully, "you and I will, no thanks to your smoothie."_

_Mina found herself smiling at his tone. "Hey, that wasn't my fault," she insisted. "At least not entirely." Mina turned her head to face the silver-haired boy. She observed as he stared out at the water this time, visibly holding back a friendly chuckle. "You don't have to be so tense all the time, you know. You can laugh with your friends. I see right through your tough guy act." Riku shook his head, pretending to not know what she was going on about. "Then again... maybe it's not such a bad thing that you always put up a front."_

_Riku looked back at her, perplexed as she looked at the sky before them in a thoughtful manner. "Huh?"_

_"That way you can keep your best self for those who deserve it," rambled Mina. "You can't get taken advantage of that way." She hummed. Riku observed her carefully, touched. He felt like Mina was one of the few people who understood everyone because she didn't judge anyone intentionally. She genuinely just cared about others, at least the ones that were in her life. "Maybe I should take a page out of your book, Riku. What do you think?"_

_Riku snapped back into reality. "Hm?"_

_Mina raised her arm, flexing like he or Sora would. "Do you think I've got the guns to be tough like you?" she joked, lightening the mood._

_This time, Riku scoffed with a small smile evident on his face. "You wish!"_

__

__ "Mina~! Mina!"

   Mina blinked a few times, perking up. "Hm?"

   Olette laughed kindly. "Always daydreaming," commented Olette with a smile.

   Hayner tilted his head to the side, pointing at the blonde with his stick of Sea Salt ice cream. "Hey, what's got you smiling so big?" wondered Hayner. Mina's eyebrows shot upward, not even realizing that a wide smile was plastered across her face. It seemed like her daydreams were becoming stronger.

   Before Mina could reply, Roxas answered for her. "She was probably daydreaming of you shutting up for once," joked Roxas, causing everyone to laugh.

   Mina shook her head. "I'm just happy we've cleared our names and got back the pictures, including the word 'pictures'," admitted Mina, lying with ease as she took a bite out of her cold treat. Well, it wasn't entirely a lie. She was happy about this, but she was smiling because of her daydream.

   The others nodded in agreement. They still weren't sure about who, or rather what, the thief in white was; however, the gang was just happy to be making advances in the case. Pence sighed once everyone's laughter died down. "Do you guys think we'll always be together like this?" wondered the boy.

   Mina smiled at the genuine question, nodding. Olette admitted, "I sure hope so."

   "Huh?" replied Hayner. He seemed taken aback. "Where did that come from?"

   Hayner paused, pondering upon the question. That was something Mina always liked about Hayner. He was always supportive of his friends and always offered words of opinion or wisdom. "Well, I doubt we'll be together forever," confessed Hayner. "Isn't that what growing up's all about? What's important isn't how often we see each other, but how often we think about each other, right?"

   Mina put on a thinking face. "But if we keep each other in our thoughts and our memories, we'll basically always be together, right? Is that how it works?" the blonde queried.

   Pence chuckled at the blondes and their replies. "Did you two get that off the same fortune cookie?" he teased.

   "That's it, no more ice cream for you!" yelled Hayner humorously. He tilted his head back as they all chuckled briefly. "Man, today's already turning out to be a drag."

   "Maybe because of yesterday's memory thief?" Olette suggested.

   Hayner shook his head. "Nuh-uh. You know what it is?"

   Mina whispered rather loudly, "I wonder if he's gonna tell us."

   "We don't want summer vacation to be over," Hayner revealed, sticking a tongue out at Mina, to which she just giggled. "That's all!" Hayner jumped out of his seat. "You know what we need to do? We all need to go to the beach! And why do we go to the beach? Because we haven't gone once this entire vacation! Plus, Mina's been talking about it since summer started!" He walked around the usual spot. "Blue seas, blue skies! Let's just get on the train and go!"

   Mina's eyes lit up immediately. She had been talking about going to the beach all summer, but the others and their schedules never seemed to line up properly. "Are you being serious or are you screwing with me?" demanded Mina, standing up and pointing her ice cream at him menacingly.

   Roxas, Olette, and Pence just glanced at each other, unsure of this plan. "Uh, maybe you forgot, but we're broke," pointed out Roxas.

   Hayner flashed a confident smile at his friends. "Maybe you forgot, but I'm smart!" Hayner exclaimed.

   "No, we're smart," Mina jokingly argued. "You just piggyback off of our ideas!"

   "Ooh," Roxas hissed, pretending like he had felt the insult on a personal level. He laughed regardless. "Good one, Mina. Or maybe we should say Mean Mina." He chuckled just a bit longer at his joke, causing Mina to snort in response. Strangely enough, that nickname sounded oddly familiar to Mina, but she was almost positive that she'd never heard it from anyone before.

   Hayner rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he dismissed. He grabbed the first person that was closest to him, which happened to be Mina. "Come on!"

   From there, it was decided that the gang would get jobs in order to accumulate enough Munny to pay for five train tickets that would take them to the beach. Mina was more than thrilled, and by the looks of it, so was everyone else. Everyone managed to pull their own weight, and by the end of the day, the five had gathered more than 5,000 Munny. However, when it was time to pay for the tickets, it was revealed that Roxas had somehow lost the Munny.

   Mina couldn't help but empathize with Roxas when she saw how upset he was. It looked like he was truly thrown off by the events that caused him to lose the Munny, but something told Mina that it was more than that. She wasn't sure how she knew something was off, that there was something Roxas wasn't telling everyone; she just simply knew. Regardless, there was nothing more they could do about what happened.

   Mina just hoped Roxas would be alright.

 

 

**DAY THREE**  

 

 

   The following day, Mina was feeling just a bit more motivated than usual to get to the usual spot. Perhaps today she could convince her friends to try to go to the beach again?

   When Mina woke up in the morning, she already knew that today would be a fantastic day. She woke up with a smile on her face in the midst of her delirium, feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the world. She got ready in record timing and was almost tempted to ride her bike down to the usual spot instead of walking. She refrained from doing so though because she didn't want to drag it around all day.

   Mina was excited for what the day had in store for her for the first time all summer. Not to say that she had been feeling down, but Mina had been so caught up in her own personal problems that she had forgotten to enjoy her summer with her friends at times. But this time, Mina was ready to make up for her problems with the perfection that today would be.

   This, however, quickly changed when she found herself frozen in her place. The wind had come to a halt and Mina was convinced that her feet were actually had actually been glued to the cement. It was almost as though Mina had entered a newfound state of absolute paralysis.

   'Huh?' thought Mina. 'I can't move! But... why? Am I still dreaming?' Mina's eyes darted around in an attempt to figure out what had happened, only to be startled when a white figure was standing before her.

   The white figure took on the shape of a girl. Her hair was blonde like Mina's. Her eyes were blue like Roxas's, but emptier, sadder. It was like she managed to compress the feeling of sorrow into her glassy eyes. The girl wore a plain white dress and a soft smile on her pretty features. It was like an angel of some kind had decided to come from the heavens to bless Mina.

   "Hello," greeted the girl, looking at her curiously and in awe at the same time. "I'm Naminé. You're the holder of the Great Divide. Mina, right? It's wonderful to meet you. I've heard a lot about you." When Mina couldn't reply, Naminé just continued to smile at her. "You know, I've been trying to figure out how you got into DiZ's datascape, and I think I've got it down. Whoever sent you into your sleep here must've hit the random button on their magic because you were brought to the fake Twilight Town. I think the fates sent you here because of your connection with Sora. Is that right?"

   Mina was speechless—literally. She had absolutely no idea what this girl was going on about. It made Mina want to believe that she was dreaming or daydreaming, but she wasn't. This was happening in real time.

   "Oh, right. I must've overdone it," mumbled Naminé. She waved a hand and with the blink of an eye, Mina could move again. "I don't usually ramble this much. There's something about you... You were very close to _her_ , weren't you? That would make the most sense. I feel as though I can trust you."

   Mina shook her head. "I'm sorry, what's happening? Where did you just come from, and how did you do what you just did? What are you talking about? How do you know who Sora is?" fired Mina. "What do you mean fake Twilight Town? What's the Great Divide? Who—?"

   "I just wanted to pop in while I was already here... you know, before you finally wake up especially," interrupted Naminé with a sweet tone to her voice. Mina's eyebrows furrowed together as she continued, "I have a feeling it's coming soon. Don't worry. All of your questions will be answered in your awakening."

   Mina hummed, very concerned with what was happening. "Okay... I'm not even going to try to ask," unsurely replied Mina, staring at the blonde for a moment. She felt like she could trust Naminé, but she wasn't sure why. She felt comfortable in Naminé presence, which perplexed Mina because she had never spoken to or even seen this girl before in her life! "You seem so familiar," admitted Mina.

   Naminé hummed. "I'm not surprised. She misses you a lot. I can feel it," vaguely told Naminé. She brushed off the thoughts of her Somebody's friendly feelings towards Mina, flashing another small smile at the holder of the Great Divide. "Well, it was very nice to finally meet you, Almost-Master Mina. I hope maybe we will be able to meet one day again in the future, whether it's through me or through _her_."

   Mina's eyebrows scrunched together. "Huh? Wait—!" started Mina, seeing as how light erupted before her and engulfed Naminé.

   But by the time the light vanished, Naminé was gone.

   Mina found herself frozen, confused as to what just happened. She tilted her head to the side. She couldn't make sense of what she had just experienced. Perhaps that was just a daydream after all?

   "Mina!" She turned around, discovering Roxas jogging toward her. Mina looked like she was stuck in a daze still. Once Roxas joined her side, he noticed her state and asked, "Hey! Are... you alright?"

   Mina paused, allowing his words to settle in her brain. "I...I don't know," admitted Mina. She looked back over her shoulder. "There was this... There was this girl. She was right here, and then she wasn't. Well, actually, she wasn't here, then she was, and then she wasn't..."

   Roxas raised his eyebrows. "You're making no sense," he admitted.

   "You're telling me," she mumbled. She shook her head. "What's up with you? Any weird dreams?" The two began to walk together to the usual spot where they assumed Hayner, Pence, and Olette were waiting.

   Roxas scoffed. "I think you should be asking if I've had any _normal_ dreams," he sardonically mentioned. He shook his head. "I had the same experience. I thought I saw the guy that stole our Munny yesterday, but when I tried to talk to him, he just ignored me and walked away. Twilight Town sure does attract weird tourists."

   Mina nodded, silently agreeing. "Between the disappearing tourists and thieves, I'm waiting for the Circus to show up at this point," she joked. She sighed. "You know what we need?"

   "A full 24 hours of sleep?"

   Mina giggled at this. "That, and one of our legendary Moxas sleepovers," Mina added. "We'll watch movies and eat tons of candy. Maybe I can help you out with your weird dreams?"

   Roxas didn't even have to think twice. "Honestly, that sounds like the perfect thing. I think the others are still mad at me for losing _5,000_ Munny," he admitted.

   Mina shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous," she told him. "Accidents happen. You just have to take it, accept it, and roll with the punches, you know?"

   Roxas nodded. "I'll have to take a page out of your book then," Roxas said. "Hey, I'll race you to the usual spot!"

   But before Mina could even reply, he was already running down the street. "Hey!" she called after him, breaking out into a sprint. "Cheater!"


	4. Mark of Mastery

**DAY FOUR**

  

   _"Have we ever met someone by the name of Naminé?" was the first question that fell out of Mina's mouth after her usual initiation by Master Yen Sid in her dream world. She was used to doing it without the extra complaints by now, getting through the questions in less than 10 minutes now._

   _The aged man just stared at her with his intimidating eyes, moving his head forward slightly. His bushy eyebrows became knitted together as he attempted to put the name to a face. "Not that I recall, no," admitted Master Yen Sid. "Why do you ask?"_

   _"The weirdest thing happened to me today. I was on my way to meet with my friends when the world literally... stopped. I was completely frozen. I wasn't daydreaming or anything either," began to explain Mina, making big hand motions as she spoke. This was something she had always done growing up, never quite able to refrain from doing so. "Then out of nowhere, this girl appeared. Uh, she was blonde, she had this white dress on, and she reminded me of Kairi, but sadder. She said her name was Naminé and that she knew all about me. She was talking about the Great Divide and someone named DiZ and mentioned Sora and my connection to him. But I don't I have a connection with Sora... I think? Riku and I are obviously connected from the Paopu fruit, but I don't have a reason to be connected to Sora, right?"_

   _Master Yen Sid shook his head. "On the contrary, child, you and Sora became connected through special means. Since you shared your light with him, your hearts became connected. This could explain why you're in the same datascape as his Nobody..." trailed off Yen Sid. "Go on. What else did she say?"_

   _Mina had to think about it for a moment, trying to recall the details. "Hm..." trailed off the blonde. "She brought up the fake Twilight Town and that she just wanted to "pop in" while she was already there. Do you think she was visiting someone else?"_

   _Master Yen Sid hummed, indicating that he was thinking deeply. "Perhaps Sora's Nobody," answered Master Yen Sid. "If Naminé knows DiZ, then I wonder..." He trailed off._

   _Mina leaned forward. "You wonder... what?" wondered the girl._

   _Master Yen Sid waved his hand. "You needn't to worry about that now, child. Answers will come when you've passed your test," he dismissed. "You need to focus on your awakening. Let's get to training."_

   _The holder of the Great Divide just sighed and stood up. Though she couldn't help but wonder... What did Master Yen Sid know?_

 

 

   When Mina woke up in the morning, she felt physically and mentally exhausted. Whatever was happening in her dreams was beginning to affect her in her daily life, which was a disappointment. Maybe this meant that she was getting closer to discovering what went on in her dreams? Mina sure hoped so.

   She lulled her head to the side, lying on a mattress on the floor of Roxas's bedroom. She looked past the dirty clothes that were scattered across the room; sighing at how they would have to clean up the trash from the food they had eaten the evening before. Mina had no idea what time they fell asleep at, but it didn't really matter all that much. The past was in the past, right?

   Mina stared up at the ceiling. She couldn't stop thinking about that girl from yesterday. What was her name? Naminé, wasn't it? Mina couldn't take her mind off of the girl and her confusing vernacular. Mina knew that she was speaking English, but her words sounded like absolute gibberish. None of it was clicking in her mind the way she wanted it to. Maybe it was just some elaborate prank? That would make more sense, given all the mysteries that had been unraveling in Twilight Town as of lately.

   Without warning, a pillow went flying at Mina's face. The 16-year-old shrieked at the surprise. She was lucky her reflexes acted, and she was even luckier that an anvil or a rock wasn't thrown at her instead. She fisted the pillow, propping herself up as she listened to Roxas snicker to himself. "Good morning, Mina," he cheekily greeted.

   "Good morning, Roxas," she mocked, smacking him with the pillow. "What was that for, you dick?"

   Roxas hugged the pillow against his body, getting comfortable once more. "I forgot you're cranky in the morning," he mentioned.

   'Probably because I wake up every morning confused and afraid due to not remembering anything I dream about,' bitterly thought Mina. Instead of speaking this, she shook her head. "I'm not cranky," she lied. "I'm just a victim of domestic abuse by my best friend. You know, the others would never attack me like that!"

   Roxas snorted. "Are we talking about the same friends? The ones that set up a bunch of traps around my house for me to wake up to? I still haven't forgiven Olette for putting saran wrap on every single door frame she could find in my house," he mentioned.

   "Olette learns from the best," she admitted, stretching her limbs and wincing at how sore she was. Why was she sore? It wasn't like Mina worked out much these days...

   Roxas shook his head. "You corrupted her," he fired back, pretending to sound horrified.

   "You say that as if Hayner hasn't corrupted all of us," pointed out Mina. She laughed. "Do you remember when he made us all learn self-defense? I've never seen Pence actually look that angry in my life."

   Roxas snorted. "That's because Hayner's an awful teacher."

   Mina lifted her arms, pulling her blonde hair into a low ponytail. Meanwhile, Roxas began to walk around his room, looking for clean clothes to wear. "You say that like you're any better," she teased. "You two should never become teachers."

   "True, but if we did, we'd never assign homework unless it was fun," Roxas vowed.

   Mina hummed, standing up. "I better go back to my house and get changed," said the blonde. "Are you ready to get your Struggle on today?"

   Today was the great Struggle competition—a contest where people spar for the chance to win a trophy and some sweet cash. Naturally, Hayner and Roxas had signed up for the event. Although they were technically competing against each other, Mina and the others promised to cheer equally for Hayner and Roxas.

   "I'm a little nervous," admitted Roxas. "I really don't know what I'll do if I get my ass handed to me in front of the entire town."

   Mina shook her head. "You'll be fine," insisted Mina. "All you have to do, really, is be better than Seifer, Vivi, and Setzer." Mina pretended to gag that the latter's name. "Ugh, Setzer is a total tool. Remember when he hit on Olette and I in the span of five minutes?"

   "Well, if I manage to get to the finals, I'll be sure to "accidentally" sucker punch him for you," promised Roxas with a cheeky grin. Mina laughed at that.

   "I'll give you 20 Munny if you manage to pull that off," she replied. "Now, I really gotta get going, but I'll see you and the others at the competition." She skipped over to him and engulfed Roxas in a hug. Then, she kissed his forehead in a sisterly manner before ruffling his already messy hair. "See ya, kiddo."

   "Bye grandma!" called Roxas in amusement, causing Mina to roll her eyes.

   "I'm only one year older than you!" she fired back.

   "What was that? I didn't know you could hear me without your hearing aid!" he teased. Mina just laughed as she exited her best friend's home. She, of course, had a quick conversation with Roxas's parents, but made sure to hurry on her way out.

   On Mina's walk back to her home, her thoughts took over once again. After all, with the disappearance of Naminé arose more questions from Mina than ever before. She found herself distraught over the information that had been fed to her brain the day before. Mina had never heard of practically any of the things Naminé said to her in her entire life. Perhaps Mina needed to do some research at the library later?

   Still, Mina knew she was going to be distracted with everything that was going on for the rest of the day. She wanted to be there for her friends at the contest, but she knew her head would be stuck in the clouds until she could get everything sorted out. Mina was hoping that if she could make sense of everything that was going on, she could help Roxas and maybe even the town with all the weird things that had been happening.

   Mina couldn't stop asking herself the same questions. How was any of this possible? Were Mina's current struggles normal for other teenagers? Was Mina just a special case? Did the Gods hate Mina or something? She wished she understood something... anything, really!

   "Sora and Riku..." trailed off Mina, eyebrows knitted together as she continued to walk down the street. Those names had been stuck on her mind out of all the other things that she had been thinking about. Nothing was making sense. "Who the hell are Sora and Riku?" The names felt so familiar. She had heard the names in her daydreams, but who were they?

   _"Seriously? Is that a joke, Mina? Because if it is, you've seriously gotta get a better sense of humor."_

   Mina's eyes widened. She froze in her tracks, looking around. No one was around of course. The streets were empty because everyone had cleared their schedules to watch the Struggle competition. But... Mina was positive she heard someone! "Hello?" called Mina. "Is someone there?"

   _"Ha ha ha, hilarious,"_ sarcastically said the voice.  _"You're just as I remember, Mean Mina."_

   Mina's heart rate picked up instantly—if that were even possible due to how stressed she was in that moment. She had heard that nickname before from Roxas... How would this person even know to call her that?

   _"Wow, you really don't remember, huh? It's me, Mina,"_ the voice insisted.  _"We're best friends! We saved the universe together, remember?"_

   Mina paused, unsure of what was going on. "Are... Are you Sora? Or are you Riku?" quizzed Mina. The names felt strange rolling off of her tongue, yet it felt right.

   _"Of course I'm Sora! We grew up on the islands together!"_ continued Sora.  _"I can't believe you forgot me! Well, I guess it's a good thing we're connected. You'd be totally lost without me."_

   Mina proceeded to fire questions one after the other, ignoring his humorous remarks. "Where are you?  _Who_  are you? How do you know who I am? Why have you been in all of my daydreams?" she demanded.

   _"Aw, you've been daydreaming about me? I knew you missed me!"_

   "Yeah, right. Like I'd ever admit that to you, twerp," Mina replied without thinking, very obviously sarcastically. She even smiled and laughed a little bit in the process of speaking. She slapped her hand over her mouth. Where did that come from?

   _"See, I knew you remember me! Deep down you do, at least,"_  Sora cheerfully stated.

   Mina felt like her brain was going to explode. Sora was the name of one of the boys from her daydreams. How was that a coincidence? Was it possible that these daydreams were something more? What was the purpose of them? Were they trying to tell her something? Or perhaps, maybe they were trying to remind Mina of something... someone?

   But before Mina could say another word to the extremely familiar voice in her head, strange white creatures materialized before her. The sight of them caused Mina to feel lightheaded. A headache she had been ignoring started to scream in her mind. She didn't know what these creatures were, but she could feel the familiarity of the darkness radiating off of them. Had Mina seen these creatures before? No—Mina knew for a fact that these things weren't familiar whatsoever. The only thing Mina seemed to recognize was their cold darkness.

   They moved peculiarly, their bodies flexible and agile as if they had no bones or organs. They had no true facial features. They were monsters of some sort, and they were heading straight for Mina.

   "Wh... Whoa!" yelled Mina as one leaped in her direction. She ducked down as it flung itself at her in a spring-like motion. Mina instinctively tried to run, but found that there were a countless amount of these creatures surrounding her from every angle. It seemed as though Mina was trapped inside a circle of them.

   Mina's heart was racing against her chest, pounding heavily. Her brown eyes were wide with fear. She knew basic defense through Hayner and Roxas, but she had absolutely no idea how to take these things down. Were they even remotely human? What the hell was Mina supposed to do?

   _"Summon your Keyblade,"_ a familiar voice rang through her head. This voice wasn't the same as Sora's. It was different; older, deeper, wiser. The image of an aged man in wizard attire flashed through her mind. Surprisingly, he seemed more familiar that she was expecting.

   "My  _what_?" whispered Mina to herself. She released a gasp as another creature flung itself at her. She threw her arm out in front of her in attempt to protect herself, grimacing with her eyes closed. Seconds passed before Mina realized that the monster hadn't touched her.

   She peeled one eye open and gasped. "What the hell is that!?" Mina stared at the object in her hand with wide eyes. It resembled an enlarged key of some sort. Mina paused for a moment. Without hesitation, Mina mumbled, "Keyblade... That's what this thing is."

   Out of pure reflex and instinct, Mina positioned herself, preparing to fight off these enemies. She leaped forward and swung her Keyblade at the white monsters. She grunted as each one attacked her. Mina was really just impressed that she seemed to know what she was doing.

   With each hit, Mina heard voices in her head. Flashes of people she thought she didn't know rolled through her mind. Moments that were important to Mina deep down played in her head like a movie. Just an hour ago, Mina would have sworn that she had never seen the people she daydreamed of in her entire life. However, now, Mina was slowly becoming able to name everyone in her mind... because they weren't just dreams or daydreams. They were  _real_  people. No, they weren't just real people—these were memories! More importantly, these were  _Mina's_  memories!

   As the final enemy disappeared, Mina breathed heavily. She dropped the Keyblade that had been comfortably sitting in her hands, causing it to clatter loudly on the cement ground. Her hands shook violently and her breathing picked up rapidly. Memories continued to flood her mind. It was almost like she was awakening from a deep slumber.

   _"Until you are able to recite the details of your life in your waking world just as you can in your sleeping world, you will retell your story over and over again,"_ a man's voice echoed in Mina's mind. It was the same voice from before, the one that came after Sora.

   "Master Yen Sid," Mina whispered without thinking about it. She clenched her jaw, attempting to get a hold of herself. "Okay, well..." She paused, unsure of where to start. "My name is Mina. I'm training... I think... to be a Keyblade Master. Um... I was born and raised on an island... I think it's called Destiny Islands. Yes, Destiny Islands! I grew up there with my friends..." She knitted her eyebrows together, thinking as hard as she could. "Kai... Kairi, Sora, and R..." Mina swallowed the knot that had formed in her throat. "Kairi, Sora, and Riku; those are their names. They're my best friends. Uh, shoot, what else...? I am the holder of the Great Divide—the entity that embodies the balance between light and dark, for one cannot exist without the other. No, I'm not just the holder. I simply am... I  _am_  the Great Divide!"

   Without warning, a bright light blinded Mina, and everything seemed to turn into a single blur.

 

———

 

    _15-year-old Mina watched as 14-year-old Kairi sat on the raft in the sand. She was busily working on something that Mina couldn't quite decipher. "Say, Kai, what are ya doing?" wondered Mina._

    _Kairi giggled eagerly. She held it up for her friend to see. "These are Thalassa shells!" the redhead enthusiastically declared._

    _Mina shook her head. "I know what they are," she said, "but what are you doing with them? Didn't Riku_ ** _just_** _tell us to focus on the raft, like, ten minutes ago?"_

    _"You never started listening to Riku until recently," Kairi pointed out. She turned her attention back to the seashells, fidgeting with them as she had been before the blonde approached her. "You know, M, you always tease Riku about having a crush on you, but I'm starting to think_ ** _you_** _have a crush on_ ** _him_** _!"_

    _Mina practically choked on her own spit. "Huh!?" cried out Mina, coughing violently. Her cheeks burned a bright shade of scarlet. "Did you eat some poisonous Shellfish or something!? I don't have a crush on Riku!" Kairi glanced up from her project, skeptical. "I'm serious—I don't! Actually, he has a crush—" Mina slapped her hand over her own mouth, hoping Kairi didn't catch that last part of her sentence. Luckily, it seemed that Kairi didn't. "I mean..." She paused. "Look, I don't like Riku like that. I just like teasing him!"_

    _Kairi hummed. "Fine. I'll believe you this time," Kairi cheerfully said with a giggle. "Now, if you_ ** _must_** _know what I'm doing, I'll tell you since you're my best friend." Mina instantly grinned at the sound of that. "As you know, Thalassa Shells were once used by sailors to make good luck charms. So I decided to make a good luck charm myself. That way all of us will be ensured of a safe voyage when we finally leave the islands!"_

    _Mina smiled at the idea, getting a little excited at the thought of good luck. "That's a great idea!" encouragingly said Mina._

    _Kairi beamed at the positive affirmation. "Thanks, M!" replied Kairi. She frowned. "But I just can't seem to get it right. I almost had it, but then I totally messed it up." Kairi nodded toward the jumble of Thalassa Shells next to her. Beside the jumble was a good luck charm similar to the one Kairi was currently working on, but it was just a bit different._

    _Its shape took on the one similar to a Paopu fruit, which seemed to be Kairi's intent. The greatest difference was the variations of shells attached together. Half of the charm consisted of shiny, iridescent Thalassa Shells, whereas the other half was composed of dirty, mismatched, and broken shells. The halves seemed to contrast each other greatly. If anything, it wasn't the_ _prettiest_ _good luck charm, but for some reason, Mina was attracted to it._

    _"Are you kidding? I love it!" Mina exclaimed, reaching out to pick it up. She admired the unique charm. "Oh, can I have it? Please, Kai, I promise I'll take real good care of it!"_

    _Kairi gave her a look of bewilderment. "You're crazy, you know that?" replied Kairi. She sighed before shrugging. "I guess it's not a big deal. It's not my best work, but if you like it, you can keep it. But don't lose it! Otherwise, you'll lose a piece of me, and you can't do that."_

    _"I would never," swore Mina with a wide grin. "I'll treasure it forever!"_

    _Kairi raised her eyebrows, a smug look on her face. "Right next to the spot in your heart where you keep Riku, hm?" Kairi teased._

    _"Cut that out!" Mina exclaimed with wide eyes. "I won't hesitate to shove sand down your throat!" Kairi just laughed at the blonde, shaking her head. She almost wanted to test her, but Kairi knew Mina, and Mina would do exactly that. Instead, Kairi just kept her mouth shut, giggling quietly._

    _Without warning, the scene transformed. The 15-year-old and the 14-year-old girls were erased. In their replacement were two boys and a girl. Riku and Mina appeared to be five while Sora was four. The boys were parading around on the beach with wooden swords while Mina silently sitting in the sand._

    _"No way! I'm going to save the princess!" Sora exclaimed, waving his weapon in the air._

    _"Not on my watch!" Riku menacingly replied. The boys went into action. They swung their wooden swords at one another. Riku had always been the stronger one between him and Sora, but Sora never went down without trying his best. That was one of the things his friends admired most about the happy-go-lucky child._

    _They continued to go at it with one another. Riku looked like he was clearly winning, which he usually did. But sometimes, on the off chance, Sora would somehow pull through and manage to beat Riku every once in a while. Today was one of those days._

    _"Aha!" cried Sora. "I won! I've saved the day_ ** _and_** _the princess!" He jumped up and down excitedly. Riku shrugged from his spot on the ground after he had been struck down, getting up._

    _"Not bad, Sora," said Riku. "Maybe you're actually catching up to me!"_

    _"I hope so!" Sora exclaimed. He looked around, confused. "Where's the princess?"_

    _Riku's eyebrows shot upward. The silver-haired child took it upon himself to look around, too. He could've sworn they left Mina sitting in the sand. Where could she have gone? Riku glanced a little further down the shore, spotting a blonde child curled up in a ball._

    _Sora and Riku quickly ran toward her. "Is she okay!?" Sora worriedly asked._

    _Riku was about to respond, but once they were closer to her, he understood. Mina was fast asleep. Riku shook his head, stifling a laugh. "I think she's alright," Riku replied. "She's just asleep."_

    _"Asleep!?" repeated Sora. He leaned closer to Mina._

    _"Wait, Sora—" started Riku, only to be interrupted by Sora shouting, "WAKE UP!"_

    _Almost instantly, Mina sprang upward onto her feet. She squinted through the bright daylight as her heart raced. Judging her reaction, Sora and Riku couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. "Didn't get enough sleep last night, Mina?" wondered Sora._

    _Mina shook her head, yawning. "No, I did," she answered. "I was just bored of waiting for you to save me. Guys, I'm really tired of always being the princess one of you has to save."_

    _Sora and Riku exchanged glances. "What do you mean?" questioned Riku._

    _"Do you not wanna play with us?" innocently asked Sora._

    _Mina shook her head. "No, I like playing with you guys, don't get me wrong!" began to explain Mina. "But I wanna play, too! I don't wanna just sit on the sidelines all day!"_

    _"Well," began Riku. He folded his arms over his chest, "what do you want us to do about it?"_

    _"We could ask Selphie if she wants to play princess instead?" Sora suggested. "But then what will_ ** _you_** _do, Mina? We can't play without you!"_

    _"Well..." trailed off Mina. She rubbed the back of her head nervously before shaking her head. She had to be confident about her beliefs, just like her mother taught her! "I want to be a knight, too!"_

    _"Huh!? You don't even know how to use a sword!" exclaimed Sora._

    _"But I can learn!" replied Mina. She placed her hands on her hips. "Girls can be strong, too!"_

    _Sora hummed. "Hm..." He appeared to be contemplating on whether or not they should teach Mina how to use a sword, but not because he didn't think girls could be strong. He was hesitant because Mina was scary sometimes, and there was no way he'd be able to beat her when she was being scary._

    _"I guess that's not such a bad idea," Riku admitted. Sora jumped up at Riku's reply, surprised._

    _"Really?"_

    _"Really!?"_

    _Riku nodded casually. "Yeah," replied the boy. "I'll teach you myself! You'll be a pro before you know it. Or, at least better than Sora." Riku and Mina laughed at the joke._

    _"Hey!" yelled Sora. He paused. "But wait, who's gonna be the princess then? We've never added anyone else to our group." He looked between Mina and Riku, very clearly thinking about the tough decision._

    _Suddenly, a thought popped into Mina's head. "Riku should do it!" declared the girl._

    _Riku's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he heard this. "What!? No way!" he yelled._

    _Mina giggled. "Kidding!" she revealed, causing Sora to laugh. "Why don't we invite that new girl? The one who washed up on the island a few days ago? I heard she's staying with the Mayor."_

    _Sora nodded eagerly. "That's a great idea! Let's go!" Sora yelled, taking off. "I'll race you guys there!"_

    _Mina just laughed at the boy, but before she took off, she turned to Riku. "Did you mean it?" she asked Riku._

    _Riku, who was second away from running after Sora, paused. He wore a baffled facial expression. "Mean what?" repeated Riku._

    _"Will you teach me how to be strong like you and Sora?" wondered Mina._

    _Riku nodded with a shrug. "If it means that much to ya, then sure!" Riku answered._

    _"Promise?"_

    _Riku stared down at Mina's hand as she held it out. Her pinky was extended. "Are you really making me pinky promise?" Riku asked._

    _"Pleaseee?" dragged out Mina_ _, staring at him with pleading eyes._

    _Riku stared at her hand for a moment longer._ _He knew he couldn't resist Mina. Something about her always brought out Riku's soft side. She always knew how to break through his tough guy act. "_ _Alright," he decided. He reached out and interlocked his pinky with hers._

    _Without warning, a bright light emitted from them and the scene turned white._

 

_———_

 

   Silence. It was loud and eerie. The silence rang throughout the atmosphere. It was almost too quiet for comfort. All that could be seen was pure nothingness, which seemed to still be something. Mina looked around before realizing that the only thing she could properly see was a large piece of stained glass. It was what she was standing on. On the stained glass was an image of a girl that looked just like Mina. In her hand was a curious looking weapon that looked like a key. Beside the girl were a few circles with various faces on them.

    _"Hello? Are you still there? You didn't die on me, did you?"_

   Mina nearly gasped when she heard that voice. It echoed in her head, and it was only then when Mina realized that she was asleep. No—Mina couldn't have been asleep. Mina knew how her dreams had gone down for the past year, and this certainly wasn't it. 'Hello?' Mina thought. 'Is someone there?'

    _"Oh, thank goodness,"_  the voice replied, very clearly relieved.  _"I wasn't sure if you were okay for a second there."_

   Mina didn't recognize this person's voice. The more she thought about it, the less and less familiar this voice sounded. She looked around, but she couldn't see anyone by her. All she could do was communicate with this person inside her head. 'Who are you?' thought Mina.

    _"We don't know each other. Not personally, at least,"_ continued the voice.  _"It's a long story, but my name's Ventus. Call me Ven. You're Mina, aren't you?"_

   'Yes, that's my name,' replied Mina in her head. 'But how do you know that?'

    _"It's hard to explain,"_ Ventus said.  _"But to sum it up, my heart was shattered a long time ago. The Great Divide had to send my heart to two separate places in order to mend it entirely. One half of my heart is within you, the other half in your friend, Sora."_

   'Sora...' thought Mina. 'I recognize that name. Same with this Great Divide thing. It's all just a blur in my head. I'm not sure what either of those are.'

    _"Well, sure you do,"_ encouraged Ventus.  _"The memory's deep within your subconscious. You just need to dig to find it. It's just like how I've been in your heart for so long without you realizing it. It's all there, you just have to look for it yourself. That's what my friends taught me."_

   'Hm...' trailed off Mina. 'Your friends seem nice. But Ventus, if you're in my heart, how do I set you free?'

    _"It's hard to explain because I'm not sure where my body is,"_  answered Ventus.  _"Look for my friend, Aqua. She'll take you and Sora to me. Then, my heart can be put back together and restored into my body. Do you think you can do that for me, Mina?"_

   'Of course!' Mina answered. She held her pinky high in the air. 'It's a pinky promise, Ven. You can count on me. But it might take awhile. I still have to figure out who Sora is.'

   This Ventus person seemed to chuckle.  _"That's alright. I can wait a while longer,"_  he ensured,  _"but don't keep me waiting too long, please. As much as I've enjoyed my stay in your and Sora's hearts, I'm not quite used to being in a girl's body."_

   Mina laughed at this, continuing to think her responses for him to hear. 'Sorry about that, Ven,' she apologized. 'Say, do you know how I can get out of this place? It's quite dark and there's nowhere to sit.'

   Ventus chuckled once again.  _"You're asleep, Mina,"_ he told her.  _"Did you not figure that out? Maybe that's why you can't seem to remember much right now like you could before. Once you awaken, maybe things will start to make sense."_

   'You think so?'

    _"Sure!"_  Ventus optimistically declared.  _"Here, try this. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and open your eyes..."_

   'Close my eyes, breathe, open my eyes... Got it,' Mina sheepishly replied. 'Uh, thank you, Ven. It was nice meeting you.'

    _"This isn't a real meeting. We'll meet someday soon though. I'm sure of it!"_  Ventus exclaimed.

   Mina smiled at the warmth of his energy. 'You remind me of someone, but I can't put my finger on it,' she admitted. She sighed. 'Alright, here goes nothing. I'll find you soon, Ven. Don't you worry.'

    _"Thank you, Mina."_

   Taking in a deep breath with her eyes shut, Mina concentrated as hard as she possibly could.

   Then, her brown eyes fluttered open.


	5. Keyblade Master Mina

   For the first time in the past 365 days, Mina remembered every detail of her life.

   She remembered her childhood and all of the people she grew up knowing. She remembered the sights of every world she traveled to and the smells of every item of food she consumed. She remembered the sounds of her friends laughing and the feeling of tears rolling down her cheeks. She remembered the sensation of the sun burning her skin from long days fighting creatures of the darkness. She remembered the taste of salt in her mouth whenever ocean water would get splashed in her face.

   For the first time, Mina could remember the details of her dreams. When she woke up, she wasn't confused and disoriented. It was as though Mina knew exactly where she was and who she was meant to be. She was Mina, holder of the glorious entity called the Great Divide. She was the holder of the balance between the light and the dark.

   When Mina awakened, it took her a moment to recognize her surroundings. After all, the only time she had been in the Mysterious Tower was in her dreams. However, the minute she understood where she was, she was quick to leap out of the bed she laid in. Of course, this seemed to backfire, as Mina instantaneously grew lightheaded. "Whoa..." she grumbled, her head spinning.

   "I suggest you take it easy," Master Yen Sid's voice came from a few feet away. "You've been asleep for a very long time."

   Leaning against the bed for support, Mina's brown eyes widened significantly. For the very first time, Mina was standing before Master Yen Sid in the flesh. "Master Yen Sid!" exclaimed Mina. She raised her hand, saluting him. "It's an honor."

   "Likewise, young Mina," Master Yen Sid responded. "Come along with me. We have much to discuss." Mina nodded. She started to take a step forward, but was interrupted by a chair gliding from one side of the room to directly beneath her. Master Yen Sid proceeded to walk with Mina following in the floating chair.

   Mina gawked at the Mysterious Tower, admiring every detail of architecture. She could feel the magic surging throughout the entire building. In a way, it energized the girl. The aura of the building seemed to give Mina strength. Soon, Master Yen Sid and Mina sat across from each other in his famous office they used to continually consult in.

   Master Yen Sid adjusted his sitting position, his hands folded before himself. "I must say, it is a great honor to be in the presence of the latest holder of the Great Divide," Master Yen Sid began. "As history has shown, the entity leaves its holder once its holder's heart is imbalanced; however, you seem to be an exception. You are very special, Mina. I hope you recognize this by now."

   Mina nodded. "After everything I've gone through, I think I'm starting to realize it," admitted Mina shyly. She didn't know what to say, despite having known Master Yen Sid for a full year and consulting with him every night. She was just shocked she was even alive after lending Sora her light.

   "I must admit that you came back sooner than I was expecting," revealed Master Yen Sid. "I suspect that Naminé girl had something to do with speeding up the process undoubtedly. That would explain your comatose state."

   "Comatose?" repeated Mina in surprise. "I was in a coma?"

   Master Yen Sid nodded slowly. "When I sent you into a state where you could recover, I didn't have anywhere specific in mind. I merely cast the spell and your body vanished. It wasn't until the first time we met in your dreams when I learned of your being in the fake Twilight Town. I'm unsure of the intentions of this fake Twilight Town, but I suspect it has something to do with our newest threat," the wizard stated. "Your body reappeared just three days ago outside the tower, just like the first time I saw you. You were asleep, and when I tried to awaken you, you wouldn't budge."

   "I was in a coma for  _three_  days!?" cried Mina. She sunk in her seat. "I'm never sleeping again!"

   Master Yen Sid crackled a very faint smile at her remark. He queried, "Do you remember everything?"

   Mina hummed, thinking about it for a moment. Flashes of memories blinked through her subconscious. "I think so," admitted Mina. "I remember living on Destiny Islands and I remember Sora, Riku, and Kairi... and all of our friends, really. I remember saving the Princesses of Heart and all of the worlds with Sora, Donald, and Goofy. I remember sacrificing myself in the middle of our fight against Riku because I knew Sora was the only way the light could overthrow the dark. I didn't understand how to overthrow the dark... only how to balance them out. It was easier fighting Heartless because I could just use my Keyblade, but Riku's a real person."

   "Indeed," confirmed Master Yen Sid. "I take it you remember your life in the fake Twilight Town?"

   "Mhm! I remember everything," Mina answered. She paused. "There was something that happened right after I remembered everything. I know I blacked out, but I woke up in this strange place. I think I was in my subconscious or something. Maybe I was dreaming? I'm not really sure, but... there was this voice. I don't think I've ever heard it before. But the voice in my head... It said it belonged to Ventus."

   Master Yen Sid's eyes widened even more than they naturally were. "What?"

   "For some reason, I couldn't remember a thing because I was stuck in this weird dream-state. It was strange. I could barely remember my life in Twilight Town, too. It was like my mind was a blank canvas," Mina explained. "That's why I didn't recognize Ventus's name. But I know who Ventus is. He held the Great Divide before me. He said that all of my memories were hidden deep in my mind and that I just needed to awaken to unlock them... And he was right. I don't know how, but he was right." Mina paused. "Ventus said that when his heart was shattered, it was split in half and sent inside two different people. He said that one half of his heart was being mended in my heart, and the other half was in Sora's."

   "Fascinating," Master Yen Sid whispered. "Your heart is connected not only to Sora's, but to Ventus's, as well. This could be because he was the last person to hold the Great Divide before you. Perhaps his heart was merely attracted to yours... but because it was shattered, half of it went to the next best person."

   "Which was Sora," Mina realized. Mina paused. "I made him a promise that Sora and I would come find him. He said that in order to find him, we have to find Aqua. Is that the same Master Aqua who was lost in the Realm of Darkness 10 years ago?"

   "Indeed," sadly confirmed Master Yen Sid. "Master Aqua, Ventus, and Terra are the three Keyblade wielders who have been lost for a long time. Mickey once knew them, but he hasn't been able to track any of them down. Perhaps your first task as an official Keyblade Master could be to track down Ventus and Master Aqua."

   Mina's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "I'm a Keyblade Master!?" exclaimed Mina. "Officially!?"

   Master Yen Sid answered, "Yes, of course. Your recovery was combined with your Mark of Mastery examination. You obtained the Power of Waking, did you not? That's how you returned back to the real world."

   Mina nodded slowly. "Ohh," she trailed off. "That makes sense..." She paused, thinking for a moment. "Master Yen Sid, could you tell me what happened after... after I gave Sora my light? What happened? Did Sora defeat Ansem?"

   Master Yen Sid paused, considering how to explain the rest of the story to Mina. He merely opened his mouth to respond before the door behind Mina swung open. Voices lowly mumbling over one another in a scrambled mess caught Mina's attention before anything else, for she knew those voices. She spun around in her chair, looking back to discover three of her best friends.

   Gasping, Mina jumped out of her seat. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!" Mina yelled.

   The trio gawked in shock, not expecting to see Mina there. After all, the last time they saw her, she disappeared in a bright white light. "Mina!?" they all yelled.

   "Oh my God, guys!" Mina cried out. She stumbled toward them in a truly ungraceful fashion, nearly tripping over her own two feet. She wasn't quite used to walking again, never mind managing to maintain her own balance.

   Mina pushed herself to reach her friends. Goofy and Donald were the first ones to greet the blonde. "Mina!" Donald exclaimed as Goofy shouted, "Is it really you, a-hyuck!"

   "I can't believe it!" Mina admitted, feeling tears pool up in her eyes. She shut her eyes tight, not wanting them to come out. "I didn't know when I'd be able to see you guys again! I missed you so much!"

   "It's been a long time!" added Donald as the three pulled away from the hug.

   Mina looked back, seeing Sora standing by the door still. He appeared to be frozen, but tears were actively falling from his eyes. "Aw, Sora, you can't cry," told Mina, "or  _I'll_  start crying!"

   Sora reached up to his face and wiped away his tears. He hadn't even realized he had started crying for the second time that day after he had woken up from his long coma. Mina walked toward Sora, still rather unsteadily. She let out a yelp as she tripped over her own two feet, but luckily, Sora grabbed her before she hit the floor. Sora pulled her in for a hug, his tears soaking her shoulder instantly.

   "You're actually here," Sora mumbled against her hair. "You're really here." He sniffled. "I thought you were... I thought you were dead, Mina. I—"

   "I know," Mina replied, hugging him as tightly as she could. She nuzzled her face in his neck. In that moment, she seemed to notice how much taller he had grown. Sora was now taller than Mina by just a few inches, and his voice was deeper. How much happened in the last year? "I'm sorry, Sora. It was the only way to save everyone." When Mina pulled away from the hug, she still had to lean on Sora for support. She reached up and wiped her face, not realizing that she had started crying. "You idiot, you made me cry!"

   "Well, I wouldn't be crying if you didn't sacrifice yourself, stupid!" Sora weakly fired back. The two shared a laugh, happy to finally be reunited.

   "It was touching while it lasted," Donald not-so-subtly whispered to Goofy, who chuckled.

   "Gawrsh, you two really do act like brother and sister nowadays," Goofy admitted.

   Mina and Sora grinned at that. The blonde had to lean against Sora for a few moments before she felt comfortable enough to stand on her own. She really shouldn't have woken up with a running start...

   The Keyblade wielders wore a perplexed expression as Donald and Goofy turned to Master Yen Sid and bowed. "Master Yen Sid, it's an honor!" stated Donald. Sora and Mina gave each other unsure glances. Mina had never bowed in front of Master Yen Sid like that before...

   Sora shrugged and beamed at the wizard, waving. "Hey there!" he gleefully greeted, causing Donald and Goofy to shoot up instantly.

   "Sora, show some respect!" Donald hissed with a glare. Sora rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

   Master Yen Sid dismissed them with his hands, allowing Donald and Goofy to properly rise. "So, you are Sora," greeted Master Yen Sid with his usual intimidating stare.

   "Uh-huh!" confirmed Mina, already going back to her usual playful personality that she'd always maintained. "Sora's great when he isn't being a total loser."

   "Hey!"

   "Now, then," ignored Master Yen Sid, "have you seen the King, yet?"

   Goofy nodded. "Yes, we did, Master. But we didn't get a chance to talk to him," explained the knight.

   "Yes..." trailed off Master Yen Sid. "The King has been quite busy as of late. Therefore, it would seem that the task of instructing you four falls upon my shoulders. Mina, I believe we'd better postpone that mission we discussed. Instead, you must learn to properly understand your powers and responsibilities of being the balance between light and dark. You know how to balance them, yes, but you need to learn how to understand your powers in order to defeat our enemies. You may be a Keyblade Master now, but there is much you still must learn. Do you understand?"

   "I understand," Mina replied.

   "Wait, KEYBLADE MASTER!?" shouted Sora. He looked at Mina with wide eyes. "Since when!?"

   "Well, I was actually busy the past year," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

   Master Yen Sid nodded. "Indeed, you were," he assured. "You all have a perilous journey ahead of you. You must be well prepared."

   "You mean... we have to go on another quest?" Sora wondered. "I was looking forward to finding our friend Riku... so we could go back to the islands." Mina gave him a confused look, to which Sora briefly explained, "We saved Kairi and defeated Ansem. King Mickey and Riku had to go into the Realm of Darkness to close the door from the inside while we closed it from the outside. Since we just saw King Mickey not too long ago, I think Riku's out there somewhere, too."

   "Really?" Mina asked, shocked. She felt determination surge through her body. "We have to find him!"

   "Yes, I understand," Master Yen Sid said. "However, everything in your journey, Sora, is connected. Whether you will find your way home to the islands with Mina... Whether you will return alone or with your friend... And, whether or not the islands will still be there. And the key that connects them all is you, Sora."

   "I'm... the key?" repeated Sora, confused. He looked at his hand and shut his eyes, summoning his Keyblade.

   Master Yen Sid continued, "Chosen wielders of the Keyblade! You are the key that will open the door to light." The four nodded eagerly at what he was saying. Master Yen Sid paused before summoning a thick book. "This book contains valuable knowledge you will need for your journey. Study it carefully. Once you have finished, we will speak of the enemies you will surely confront."

   After reading through the book, the heroes seemed even more confused than before. "But wait a sec," started Sora, "how come the Heartless are still running around?"

   Master Yen Sid answered, "Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness; make no mistake about that. However, the Heartless are darkness made real, and darkness yet lingers in every heart. The Heartless  _are_  fewer. But while darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them."

   "No kidding," breathed Mina as the three beside her sighed. She looked down at her open hand, closing it into a fist. "I can't even imagine trying to balance out all the Heartless that might be out in the worlds with light." She looked back at Master Yen Sid again. "It sounds exhausting!"

   Goofy perked up. "Gawrsh," he said. "That must mean that if everybody's heart was full of light, them Heartless'd go away!"

   Master Yen Sid nodded. "Now, it is time to speak of the enemies that you will encounter." He waved his hand, and a projection of light emerged. A hologram of Donald was created, only to quickly be replaced by a Heartless. "If one such as you, Donald, yields to the darkness in their heart, they too will become a Heartless. But you know this. The Heartless are always lurking and ever seeking to capture new hearts. Never let your guard down! Now then..."

   Another projection of light emerged. This time, a white figure appeared. It bounced around in one place almost as though it had no bones or organs. Mina gasped, recognizing it. "I've seen that before..." she recalled. "From my time in the fake Twilight Town."

   Master Yen Sid nodded again. "At times, if someone with a strong heart and will—be they evil or good—becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own. An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away... A spirit that goes on even as its body fades from existence—for you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all. Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse. They only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived!"

   "Nobodies..." repeated Sora. "They... They don't exist..."

   More projections of light came before them. Four white figures bounced before them. "Now then... the being you see before you is known as a Dusk," explained the wizard. They are the most common form of Nobody. But there are others—some larger, some with frightening and unique powers. Be vigilant!" The four looked back at the wizard and nodded. "On your journey, you will meet an alarming number of Dusks. They will all attempt to do you harm. Still, they are nothing but empty shells, destined to return to darkness. But..."

   Again, three projections of light replaced the holograms of the Dusks. Figures in black coats took their position. Mina furrowed her eyebrows together, remembering how Roxas claimed that a man in a black coat stole their Munny for their beach trip. He was telling the truth, after all...

   "The beings you see before you now are different. These powerful Nobodies have formed a group called Organization XIII," said Master Yen Sid. "It commands the lesser Nobodies."

   "Organization XIII," repeated Sora. He glanced at Donald and Goofy, who each shook their heads. They didn't like the sound of this Organization. Mina merely continued to stare at the figures in black.

   "While Heartless act on instinct, Nobodies function in a higher manner," added the wizard. "They can think and plan. And it seems they are working towards a goal. What that goal is, we do not know. The King sensed the danger and journeyed forth to fight it. He found the dark realm's Keyblade, and with it, closed the door. Now, he's traveling from world to world, fighting the Heartless as he seeks the answer to the riddle of the Nobodies and Organization XIII."

   Mina placed a finger on her chin. "Wow," she mumbled. "Where do we start?"

   "I guess we better go find the King first, right?" Sora replied.

   "But where could he be?" asked Donald.

   "Well, we won't know 'til we look," pointed out Goofy.

   Sora nodded, looking over at Goofy. "Yeah," he agreed. "And the King must know where Riku is, 'cause the two of them were together in the realm of darkness when we closed the door. You know, after defeating Ansem."

   Mina frowned, thinking about Riku. She wanted to pull him far, far away from the darkness...

   "So, before you go," started Master Yen Sid, interrupting Mina's thoughts, "you will need more suitable traveling clothes." He glanced over at Sora. "Those look a bit too small for you."

   Mina immediately giggled at the comment. Sora had very clearly hit puberty in the past year, yet he was still wearing his clothes from the last time she saw him. They were terribly small on the teenaged boy. "Hey, at least I'm not in pajamas," teased Sora.

   "These aren't pajamas," retorted Mina. "I just didn't have to constantly fight Heartless during my Mark of Mastery exam, so I didn't need protective gear!" Sora stuck his tongue out at her.

   "He's right, Mina. You two will need some new reinforcements if you are to face our new threats," said Master Yen Sid. He nodded toward a door. "Through there, you'll find three good fairies. If you ask, they'll create for you appropriate garments."

   Nodding, Sora and Mina made their way toward the large door nearby. Mina pushed it open, revealing three fairies conversing quietly between one another. Goofy and Donald followed shortly behind.

   "Well, look who's here, dears!" the red fairy, Flora exclaimed. "Sora, Mina, Donald, and Goofy!"

   "Ooh, if you're looking for clothes, you've come to the right place!" Merryweather, the blue fairy, insisted. The three fairies walked toward them. Sora and Mina exchanged glances, knowing that they were about to get a serious makeover. "Now, who's first?"

   Mina and Sora, as usual, extended their hands and proceeded to play a brief game of rock-paper-scissors. Mina threw down rock while Sora threw down scissors. "You're up, Key-Boy," Mina said, pushing the younger boy toward the fairies.

   "I'll do the designing!" exclaimed the green fairy, Fauna. Flora and Merryweather pulled Sora forward, allowing the three fairies to see him in the light.

   Fauna threw a beam of magic toward Sora, turning his clothes green. "Oh, that will never do!" Merryweather cried. She used her magic and turned Sora's clothes blue.

   "Oh dear," Mina mumbled as Sora's eyes widened, knowing what was about to happen.

   "Now, now dears," Flora said, turning his clothes red.

   "But don't you like this better?" Fauna wondered. Sora's clothes turned green again.

   "Hold on!"

   Red.

   "Are you certain?"

   Green.

   Blue.

   Red.

   Green.

   Red.

   Blue.

   Green.

   "Aww, would you just decide?" Sora begged. Mina, Donald, and Goofy laughed at his subtle frustration.

   The three fairies whispered to each other before nodding. "All right, then. Together now, darlings. And no more squabbling!" Flora exclaimed. The three fairies raised their wands and pointed their magic toward Sora one last time.

   The trio behind Sora gawked at his new clothes. He summoned his Keyblade, admiring how it all pulled together. "Awesome!" Mina exclaimed. "You look great, Sora!"

   Sora grinned at the blonde. "Thanks!" he replied. He waved away his weapon and grabbed Mina's wrist, pulling her forward. "Your turn!"

   Mina nodded, looking at the fairies shyly. She had no idea what to expect. She never quite had an eye for clothes like Kairi and Olette did. She remembered how they would tease her for barely knowing how to dress herself. Mina thought about how they would get along perfectly.

   "She's much prettier than I remember," Flora whispered to the others. "But there's so much darkness I sense in her heart."

   "Well, she  _is_  the holder of the balance. There's an immense amount of darkness in her heart, but there's an equal balance of light in it, too," Fauna reminded her. "Never mind that, dear. She will help put an end to the Organization with Sora, remember?" Flora nodded.

   Mina watched as they whispered to one another. Then, they finally pulled away and on the count of three, they shot their magic toward Mina.

   The blonde was greeted by a flash of light before she realized her shorts and baggy t-shirt were replaced by appropriate garments. "Whoa..." trailed off Mina in awe. She glanced over at the full-length mirror, observing her new clothes.

   Mina wore a spring green sweater that sat off of her shoulders. It had bell sleeves, but came fitted around her wrist for the purpose of her clothes not getting in the way. The sweater was cropped and fell over a pastel yellow romper with brown accents on it and brown straps that went around her neck. The romper ended just above mid-thigh. Her shoes consisted of boots that reached up to her knees, and they were green and pastel yellow, as well. Mina reached up to her blonde hair. It fell below her shoulders with a single braid going through it near the side of her face. The tie securing the braid was green, too.

   Mina summoned her Keyblade as Sora had before. She admired it in the light. The weapon was named The Heart's Divide, which seemed to be fitting for Mina. It was a perfectly balanced Keyblade, but it was extremely strong and powerful all the same. Its design was black and white in simple terms. The white reminded Mina of pretty and delicate glass while the black resembled harsh shards of darkness. Attached to the heart-shaped handle was a keychain that was a heart, the design of it being simply split in half. One half was black, the other half was white.

   "Wow! You clean up well!" cheered Sora, giving the girl a high five. Mina flashed a grin at the boy. She loved their supportive friendship. Mina was convinced that the boy had become just a little bit more sarcastic over the year because of her influence.

   "Now, those aren't ordinary garments," Flora insisted. "Sora, as you grow stronger, you'll be able to use different forms. Right now, you are able to use the Valor Form. Mina, through your journey, your abilities will continue to grow. As a Keyblade Master and the Great Divide, you will be able to balance the light and the dark while also utilizing them against your enemies. Your greatest task and struggle will be to learn how to tap into the contrasting sides of your heart, using them together for the light. So long as you use this combination of light and dark for good, then your heart will remain balanced and you will stay far from the wrong side of the tracks. But you must be careful, for you are at the greatest risk of being lured in by the darkness and its temptations. Do you understand?"

   Sora and Mina nodded enthusiastically. "Got it!" Sora exclaimed while Mina cheered, "Yep! Thanks, fairies!"

   The Keyblade wielders followed as Donald and Goofy exited the room. Sora glanced back at Mina. "Are you ready for this?" Sora asked. "It's gonna be a tough journey, but I believe in us! Together, we're unstoppable."

   Mina smiled at Sora. "As long as we follow our hearts, we'll know exactly what to do to save the worlds again," Mina insisted. "Now, come on. We can't keep the dark waiting any longer. It's time the light reigns once again!"

   The two nodded and hurried out, ready to begin their adventure.


	6. Restoration Commitee

   Mina felt like a kid in a candy store.

   "God, I missed this place!" Mina declared, throwing herself into one of the seats on the Gummi Ship. She spun around on the chair happily. She sighed like she was in paradise.

   Now that the blonde remembered every detail about the past year, she was now aware of how long those 365 days had gone by. The Gummi Ship had become a new home for Mina, and home was the one place she desperately wanted to be in. She wasn't sure if it was possible for Destiny Islands to have returned, but for now, the Gummi Ship would suffice.

   Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked around at each other, confused. "Gawrsh, Mina, it hasn't been  _that_  long," Goofy admitted. "Or... it doesn't feel like it's been that long, at least."

   Mina lulled her head to the side. "Are you kidding?" she replied. "I spent the entirety of the year recovering from giving Sora the majority of my internal light and restoring balance to my heart in a digitized world with copies of real people. The entire time, I didn't have any of my memories because I had to focus all of my energy on my recovery. They were tucked away completely until I went to sleep in the digitized world where I would consult and train with Master Yen Sid. My recovery and achieving the Power of Waking were all  _also_  apart of my Mark of Mastery exam. And now that I've done all that, I have to save the worlds  _again?_  Give me a break already!"

   Sora's eyebrows were raised. "Geez, I can't even remember what happened to us last year," Sora admitted. Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement. "All I know now is that we need to find Riku."

   "And the King!" added Donald.

   "Right," agreed Sora as Goofy and Donald went to mess with the console of the Gummi Ship. He sat in the seat beside Mina. "But I'm glad you're back, Mina. I don't know if I could do all this without you by my side."

   Mina shook her head. "Don't be silly, Sora," she replied. "You're a tough nut to crack. Besides, our hearts are connected now. Wherever you go, I'm right there with you. Don't you ever forget that, alright, you twerp?"

   Sora laughed at the blonde whom he viewed as an older sister. "Got it,  _Mean_ Mina," teased Sora.

   Mina's eyes widened at the sound of the nickname. She glanced over at Sora, and for a second, she could have sworn she saw Roxas. Mina wondered if she was allowed to tell Sora about Roxas... She shook her head.  _Probably not._  Mina was about to reply when suddenly, she could have sworn that Sora was replaced by another person, just like how she thought she saw Roxas a few seconds ago. It looked like a boy very similar in appearance to Roxas, but definitely not Roxas. How strange...

   "I'm not mean," told Mina as the Gummi Ship arose into the atmosphere and took off. "I just like to tease you. You make it so easy! Then again, I like to tease everyone. I guess it's just in my nature."

   Sora's jaw dropped. "Yeah, right! You might tease the rest of us, but you  _never_  teased Riku," argued Sora. "You were always too busy flirting with him!"

   Mina's cheeks burned up instantly. "What—I did not flirt with Riku!" she cried. "I just liked to tease him because he'd get all flustered and drop the tough guy act for once. You know that!"

   "Sure, but your go-to was always that he had a crush on you," Sora pointed out.

   "You're just delusional, Sora."

   "I might not know much, but I know you, Mina," Sora told her with a smug look on his face. It was almost like Sora knew something that Mina didn't, which was a shock. Then again, Mina and Sora were a lot more similar than they let on sometimes. For starters, they were each equally blind to what was in front of them. "Believe what you want. The truth is always out there right in front of you."

   Mina just shook her head at Sora's comment. Why would she flirt with Riku anyway? Riku had a crush on  _Kairi_ , not  _Mina_! It made no sense to her.

   Before they knew it, the gang of four were landing in a world Mina didn't quite recognize at first. As they walked around the world, Mina eventually was able to realize where they were. "Whoa, Hollow Bastion sure does look different now," mumbled the blonde, smiling kindly at the citizens they walked by.

   Without warning, black creatures of darkness arose from nowhere. "Heartless!" Donald yelled.

   Impulsively, Mina summoned her Keyblade and got straight to work. It felt like she was constantly fighting these creatures, so springing into action felt right. "Fira!" she cried, shooting a large ball of fire toward the monsters. She spun around, slicing her Keyblade through another Heartless.

   Mina rolled forward, leaping and chucking her Keyblade through a hoard of incoming Heartless. She couldn't help but frown when she realized how the crowd of Heartless vanished just as quickly as they emerged. "That's it?" she commented to herself, still feeling a lot of energy to fight enemies. "Well, that was lame! What do you guys think?" There was silence. Mina's eyebrows knitted together. "Guys?" She turned around, noticing how Sora, Donald, and Goofy were leaning forward on their knees, catching their breath. "Seriously, guys? You're really out of shape, huh!"

   Sora shook his head. "It's been a while," he admitted sheepishly. He perked up. "But we'll be back to normal sooner than you know it!" He walked to Mina's side. "But you were great, Mina! You're really tough now. Maybe I'll have to take some notes from your book."

   Mina flashed a charming grin at her friend. "It was nothing," she insisted with a giggle. "Don't worry guys. Maybe next time you guys can warm up before we start fighting Heartless."

   Suddenly a beam of light arose from seemingly nowhere, destroying a leftover Heartless. "Huh? What was that?" Sora wondered, puzzled.

   Mina shrugged. "Who knows," she admitted. "It looks like it helped us out though."

   "Hey, you guys!" The foursome jumped, noticing Yuffie standing on a ledge. She leaped down with a smile. "I see you're still in top form. Some of us more than others, but you look great!"

   "Well, what'd you expect?" Sora replied. "Looks like you're doing okay!"

   "Well, what did YOU expect?" Yuffie joked, eliciting a brief laugh from them.

   Donald wondered, "How are the others?"

   "Yeah!" agreed Mina. "How's old man Leon and the stick that's constantly up his butt?"

   Yuffie laughed. "They're great!"

   Sora smiled before remembering their mission. "Hey, Yuffie. Have you seen the King and Riku?" wondered the Keyblade wielder.

   "Hm... Nope!" admitted Yuffie before running off toward an alleyway. "But I had a feeling I'd see you guys again."

   Sora's eyes lit up as an idea popped in his head. He deepened his voice and pretended to sulk. "We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other," he said, clearly mocking Leon.

   "Is that supposed to be Leon?" Yuffie wondered as they all laughed at the impression. "Everybody's working on stuff over at Merlin's house. Come on!"

   Mina watched as Yuffie scurried off. "She's chipper as always," commented Mina. "Alright, gang, let's go!" They broke out into a run, making their way toward Merlin's house. It was just as they remembered.

   Entering Merlin's home, the four spotted Cid working on a computer with Leon and Aerith on either side of him. "Meet the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee!" Yuffie declared.

   Leon and Aerith hurriedly turned around. "We missed you!" Aerith sweetly said with a smile upon realizing who had arrived. Meanwhile, Cid just glanced over his shoulder and greeted, "Well if it ain't you kids."

   Leon paused. "I knew it."

   "Huh? Knew what?" Sora queried.

   "Awhile back everyone suddenly remembered all of you," Leon explained. "All at the same time."

   "You remembered..." repeated Sora. He jumped up, realizing what he was inferring. "Wait! Does that mean you forgot about us!?"

   "Gee, thanks!" Donald sarcastically exclaimed.

   "So much for 'we'll never forget each other'," teased Mina, deepening her voice to imitate Leon.

   "Where have you guys been all this time?" Yuffie wondered.

   "Taking my Mark of Mastery exam and restoring my heart's balance," explained Mina while Goofy said, "We've been sleeping."

   "Where? In cold storage?" Cid asked. "By the way, congratulations on passing your exam, Mina." Mina beamed at the comment.

   Aerith shook her head. "It doesn't matter. This is great! Everyone's together again!"

   Sora took a step forward. "So, um... we're trying to find Riku and the King," explained Sora. "Have you seen 'em?" They just shook their heads. Mina and Sora looked over at each other, disappointed. "Right..."

   "Sorry," apologized Aerith. "But let us know if there's anything we can do to help, okay?"

   Sora nodded. "Okay, thanks!"

   Cid jumped out of his seat. "Don't go thankin' us just yet!" the old man yelled.

   "Hollow Bastion's got a problem. A big problem," Leon revealed.

   "Is there anything we can do to help?" Mina wondered as Sora asked, "You mean, like Nobodies? And Heartless?"

   "That's right!" Yuffie confirmed.

   "Sounds like you could use our help," Sora insisted.

   Leon walked forward. "Then let's cut to the chase," he replied. "Sora, Mina, Donald, Goofy—we were hoping the four of you could help us out."

   "Well, your hopes and prayers have been answered!" Mina assured.

   "Like we're gonna say no? Yeah, of course, we'll help!" Sora stated.

   Leon strolled toward the door. "Come with me to the bailey. I need to show you something," he insisted before exiting.

   They were about to follow Leon out the door when a puff of smoke appeared before them. "Huh?" Mina asked. The puff of smoke faded only to reveal... "Merlin!"

   "Oh! I thought it was you. Right on time!" exclaimed the elder wizard. Mina liked to think Merlin was who Master Yen Sid would have been if he wasn't so stressed and serious all the time. Yuffie explained that the four promised to help out the Restoration Committee. "Splendid! Ah, yes. Did you give them the cards, dear?"

   Aerith gasped. "I nearly forgot!" she said. She pulled out four cards. "Here... they're presents for you. Leon thought you might like to have them."

   Mina observed it carefully, her eyes lighting up. "Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Member!" Sora read aloud.

   "Membership cards!" Donald realized.

   "Kinda cool!" admitted Goofy.

   Mina grinned. "Kinda?" repeated Mina. "These are awesome!" She paused. "Oh, crap. Guys, we're supposed to be at the bailey. Let's go!"

 

———

 

   Down at the bailey awaited Leon. He stood with a sullen expression on his face as he usually did. Mina wondered what was keeping him so distressed until she saw it. She looked out, facing the castle in the distance. Below it in the cavern, all one could see was a sea of Heartless.

   "Oh...Oh my God," whispered Mina, seeing all of the creatures of night. Seeing them made her feel strange inside. It was almost as though the Heartless were calling to the darker half of her heart.  _Mina, Mina,_  they chanted,  _The Great Divide beckons._  

   "We want to restore Hollow Bastion to what it used to be," explained Leon. "Who knows... maybe something better? There's still a lot to do, but I'm sure we can handle everything. Except for that..." He motioned toward the Heartless. "And that." He nodded in the direction of the Dusks.

   "We'll handle 'em," Sora promised.

   "That's good to hear," admitted Leon despite showing no happiness on his face. "Do you guys know what's going on them?"

   "There's this guy Pete. He's going around plotting with the Heartless," Sora explained. Mina nodded, recalling the story when she and Sora briefly caught up on the way to the Gummi Ship earlier. "But he's not smart enough to tie his own shoes."

   "The ones that are worth worrying about are the Nobodies and these guys in black cloaks. They call themselves Organization XIII," Mina added.

   "You called," a deep, mysterious voice stated. Mina and her friends looked around in confusion. "Of course, the Great Divide is the one who beckons us. Just on schedule."

   "Who's there!?" yelled Mina as Sora ran forward. Still, there was no one there.

   "You're doing well," the voice continued to speak to them. "This calls for a celebration." As if on cue, several dusks materialized before them.

   The group of five burst forward through gates, the gates closing behind them. They divided the Dusks into two groups. Mina found herself heading straight into the group without hesitation, her impulsiveness always getting the best of her. Mina swung her Keyblade, destroying the Dusks in two full swoops. However, she hardly noticed the Dusks behind her. Sora was quick to help her out, to which Mina gratefully nodded toward him. Sora seemed to get the message.

   Once the Dusks were gone, the gate reopened and the voice returned. "The Keyblade... a truly marvelous weapon," it said. "Were it only in more... capable hands... hands more lenient toward the dark."

   "Shut up!" Mina snarled, prepared to fight whoever was speaking to them. She had a bad feeling about whoever it was. She knew it was up to no good.

   "Show yourselves!" Sora demanded as the voice laughed.

   A dark portal opened up, a man in a black coat appearing in the distance. The man raised his hands and summoned more people that looked just like him. They all wore black coats.

   "Organization XIII!" identified Goofy.

   "Good," Sora said. "Now we can settle this!"

   The leader sighed. "What a shame," he sarcastically mumbled. "And here I thought we could be friends." The crowd of black coats laughed before disappearing.

   "Stop!" yelled Donald, but it was too late. They were gone. Donald ran forward ahead in an attempt to catch them, but he was blocked by another Corridor of Darkness opening. A member of the Organization walked out. "What's the big idea!?"

   "Oopsy Daisy!" he sarcastically said.

   "Move!" shouted Sora.

   "Now, do you think that's polite?" the man tauntingly wondered. "Shutting me down like that?"

   "Well, you're not exactly displaying perfect manners either, jerk!" Mina snapped.

   "As if! You can talk all you want, but that won't change a thing," he threateningly said.

   Mina walked forward, knowing she was the strongest out of the four at the moment. "I'm the Great Divide, asshole," Mina snapped. "I can be scary, too when I feel like it."

   "Oh, we anticipate your entrance to the dark side. Perhaps we can call our group Organization XIV when you join us," he taunted. "After all, what good is the Great Divide if not with the darkness? You belong with us, Mina."

   Mina narrowed her brown eyes at him. "How do you know my name?" she demanded.

   He scoffed. "All of the worlds and its citizens know your name. At least, the ones who are worthy do. I'm sure even the true Kingdom Hearts knows your name," he insisted. "The Great Divide is a weapon that all of us are dying to get our hands on. We could use you in our plans, Mina. We can help you tap into the darkness or the light, whichever you prefer. We can train you!"

   Mina paused. "Huh...?" she trailed off. How did he know she desperately wanted to be able to tap into one side more than the other?

   "Yeah, right! Like she'd ever join you guys!" Sora hissed, bringing Mina back to reality. "We'll kick your asses before that ever happens!"

   "See, that would work," said the man, "if I were just any old dude. 'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Organization. Nothing "any old" about me."

   "Ha!" scoffed Sora. "Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while his Nobody flunkeys did the fighting!"

   "Oh, dear," he said. He leaned forward, pointing at Sora. "I think you got the wrong impression."

   Sora rolled his eyes. "You gonna cry?"

   "As if! Why don't I remind you how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is?" he insisted. "Maybe that'll convince the Great Divide herself who's really gonna win this fight in the end!"

   Mina sneered at the man, but she couldn't help but wonder. Were they really people out there who wanted Mina and her powers for themselves? After all, Mina was a force to be reckoned with. Once she unlocked her fullest potential, there was no stopping Mina, which would include whichever crowd she was with. Mina had to remember to stay close to the light and to never let her heart stray too far.

   Sora furrowed his eyebrows together. "Remind me...?" he repeated.

   The man burst out laughing. "That's RIGHT! He used to give me that same exact look!" the Organization member exclaimed.

   "You must think you can psych me out by saying really random stuff!" Sora replied.

   The man placed his hand near his face. Mina could just imagine the perplexed expression on his face—of course, that would be if she could even  _see_  his face. "Gee..." the stranger trailed off. "I just don't know..." He paused. "Be a good boy now! And I'll be waiting for your arrival, Mina." Then, he disappeared in a portal.

   Donald ran forward. "Wait!" He fell on the ground trying to attack the man. "Nuts! He got away!"

   "That was weird," admitted Mina. "Even for me."

   "Agreed," admitted Sora, lowering his Keyblade. "WHO gave him the same look?"

   Goofy looked back at the Keyblade wielders. "Y'know, I think he was just tryin' to confuse the two of ya," he admitted.

   "Yeah, you're right," Sora assured. "Only one me!"

   Without warning, the group's Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee membership cards began to glow. "Whoa!" Mina exclaimed as the cards rose into the air.

   "Gawrsh, do ya think...?" Goofy trailed off.

   Sora nodded, holding his Keyblade. He was about to do his ritual when Mina stopped him. "Wait, Sora, I know we always take turns locking the worlds, but..." Mina trailed off, looking out at the sea of Heartless again. "Do you think we could do it together? I wanna see if I can use my abilities to try to balance the light and dark in this world."

   Sora hummed. "Do you think it'll work?" he wondered. Mina shrugged. "Well, it's worth a shot! I'll lock the world, and you'll do whatever your heart is telling you to do."

   "Right!"

   The two stood side by side and raised their Keyblades. The cards seemed to rise to create a keyhole. Mina closed her eyes, envisioning the light and dark coming together to become balanced. She wasn't sure how she knew how to do this. It seemed like her heart was telling her what to do. The entity of the Great Divide was deep in her heart, and Mina took on the entity and its name with pride.

   "Ohh... now I get it," admitted Sora, staring at his weapon. He spun around to spot Leon. "Sorry to leave so soon, Leon, but we've gotta go! Other worlds are calling, and they're gonna need our help!"

   Leon nodded. "Organization XIII... they look tough. Be careful out there," Leon said. "Protect each other."

   Mina nodded. "With my life," she swore. "Take care!"

   It seemed like now, Mina knew what she was meant to do. Mina was understanding more and more that she wasn't  _just_  the holder of the entity known as the Great Divide, but she merely and simply  _was_  the Great Divide. She was responsible for shedding balance. The light and dark she held in her heart were powerful forces, and when they work together, Mina could become unstoppable. She was the only person in the entire galaxy that could do such a thing, and it was her responsibility to make sure that she used her powers for good.

   Mina desperately wanted to be able to tap into her various sides. She knew that if she could tap more into her light, she could sweep out the darkness. Mina just needed to figure out how...

   But she was confident she'd figure it out sooner than later.


	7. Girls are Better than Boys

   Sometimes Mina liked to think that girls truly were better than boys.

   Don't get her wrong—she was a firm believer in equality and all that good stuff about feminism. She thought that everyone should be treated the same unless they deserved otherwise. Then again, that could easily just be her balanced heart speaking for her. Moreover, Mina was always fighting to be treated the same as others. For example, she grew up putting in an extra effort just to be as tough as Sora and Riku when they would sword fight together. She'd been advocating the belief of equality since day one.

   However, sometimes there came moments in which Mina believed that boys were just a little bit dumber than girls were. This was one of those moments.

   Mina was walking alongside her friends in a world called Land of the Dragons. She'd never been to this world, and she knew the name of it as of five minutes ago. But she and her friends were walking through it as if they'd been there forever. Mina's ears perked up when she spotted an armored man and some kind of creature standing beside him.

   Donald leaned toward the others, Sora squatting to hear him. "A Heartless?" whispered Donald.

   Mina looked back at the creature. She furrowed her eyebrows. It didn't quite look like a traditional Heartless to her. Actually, now that she was looking at it, it was starting to make out the figure of a friend that helped the gang on their travels last year, Mushu.

   "Let's get the jump on him!" Sora exclaimed. Sora and Donald quickly ran toward the scene.

   "Guys, wait! Isn't that—?" started Mina. Goofy just shook his head, admitting, "Gawrsh, maybe we should look before we leap."

   Mina laughed at his comment, running after Sora and Donald with the knight. She noticed how the man cowered in fear, Mushu jumping in his arms. However, now that she was looking closer, the man looked a lot like a girl.  _Talk about an obvious disguise..._  thought Mina.

   "Is that Mushu?" Goofy wondered.

   Mina sighed. "That's what I was trying to tell you guys," the blonde told them.

   "That's right, I know you heard of me!" Mushu exclaimed, standing on the woman's shoulder. "I'm little, lethal, and legendary! Now y'all scram before I get my dragon dander up!"

   Ignoring his words, Sora greeted, "Hey, Mushu! We missed you!"

   "Well you better HOPE I miss YOU, or else you're—" Mushu paused, realizing who was standing before him. "You're... Sora! Mina! Donald! Goofy!"

   The woman stood up, turning around shyly. "Do you know them?" she wondered.

   "KNOW them?" repeated Mushu, climbing down her arm. "Man, we used to kick all kinds of bad guy butt together!" Mushu strolled toward the four. "Yeah, you know, I helped these guys out of a lot of tight spots. Cause I'm a mighty dragon! Right?"

   Sora took a step back, causing Mushu to roll over. Mina laughed as Sora answered, "Something like that." He looked over at the girl. "And you are?"

   "I'm Mulan," she answered before her eyes widened. She deepened her voice. "Um, no, I-I mean..."

   "Ping!" corrected Mushu.

   "Uh, yes. Ping," she said.

   Mina narrowed her eyes at him, her intuition getting the better of her. "Mulan Ping?" asked Donald.

   "Just Ping. I am Ping, son of Fa Zhou," Ping introduced.

   "Mulan's a nickname?" interrogated Mina.

   Ping shook her head. "No, I... I'm just Ping," she answered.

   Mina took a few steps forward, folding her arms over her chest. "Alright," she replied. "So how do you know Mushu?"

   Ping explained with ease, "Mushu is one of my family's guardians."

   Goofy took a step forward, placing a hand over his heart sincerely. "We didn't know we were borrowin' somebody as important as a family guardian," admitted Goofy.

   "Yeah, that's right!" Mushu yelled. He jumped back onto Ping's shoulder. "And that puts you four up to your eyeballs in debt to Ping here. Well, guess what, kiddies? It's payback time!"

   "Mushu," Ping whispered, hesitant to trust her new friends.

   "Ah, they don't mind," insisted Mushu. "Ain't that right?"

   Mina blinked twice. Sure, she had her suspicions about this Ping person, but Mina was always up to help someone. Mina shrugged. "Yeah, that's alright with us," she said.

   Mushu nodded. "See, Ping here was just on his way to join the Imperial army! We gotta go find the other recruits over at the training camp!" explained Mushu.

   "Would you join us?" requested Ping. "It will be easier to join if I'm with guys, like you three."

   Mina nodded. "Sure, we'll help you out. Us girls gotta stick together, right?" she replied.

   Ping nodded in response. "Yeah! I—Wait, no, I mean... Uh..." Ping shifted uncomfortably.

   "Wait, why'd you call Ping a girl?" asked Sora. Mina turned around, folding her arms over her chest again and giving him a look that made the three before her realize what was going on. "Wait, you're... you're a  _girl_!?"

   "You didn't notice?" Ping asked, excited about this revelation.

   "Not me!" admitted Sora.

   Mina nodded. "You almost had me fooled, but my intuition never does me wrong," Mina explained.

   Sora nodded his head. "It's true. She's almost always right," he added, causing Mina to beam.

   "I think your plan will work out though," Mina said. "Boys are pretty stupid, and you'll be surrounded by them."

   "True," Ping said, laughing nervously.

   "But, hang on a sec," Mushu began, "you're a girl. That means we need a plan to sneak you in if you're gonna repay your debt." Mushu didn't even pause for a minute before he came up with an idea. "I got it! Call Mushu a genius! We'll sneak you in as the Princess! We'll say your family's hired Ping and his friends, here, to protect you during the war!"

   "That's a great idea, Mushu!"

   "That's perfect!"

   Mina was nodding along when she realized what this meant. "Wait, does that mean I'm not allowed to do anything?" she asked, disappointed.

   "Well..." trailed off Sora. "If you're a Princess who needs protecting, I guess you have to act the part, right?"

   Mina released an exasperated sigh. "Fine," she mumbled, trudging forward. "But next time, one of you's gonna be the Princess."

   Donald, Sora, and Goofy gulped loudly. Neither of them felt the desire to pretend to be a Princess any time soon, but they had a feeling Mina was being serious.

 

———

 

   If Mina had known the most action she'd get was having a brief conversation with the Captain, she would've just put on some boyish clothes and pretended to be a man like Mulan was. The conversation went as follows:

   "Who's this?"

   Mina had been quick to walk forward when the Captain spoke, knowing damn well that Sora, Donald, and Goofy were horrific liars. "I'm Princess Mina," she introduced fairly convincingly. "My father hired these soldiers to protect me throughout the war. Wherever they go, I'm with them, and vise-versa."

   "Oh," said the Captain. He eyed her suspiciously. "Princess of what?"

   "Huh?" asked Mina.

   "Oh, no," Donald whispered to Sora and Goofy, afraid that Mina would slip.

   "What region of land do your family reign over?" reiterated the Captain.

   "This doesn't look too good," Goofy muttered to his friends.

   Sora shook his head. "Watch and learn," he whispered back to them.

   Mina's jaw dropped. "How dare you?" she questioned. "You dare question me of my position and heir to the throne? I'll have you know my coronation is just around the corner, and when it arrives, I'll be sure to send my newly adopted army right to this wretched land. You'll be starting a war you'll never be able to finish. Is that truly what you want, sir?" She flashed an innocent smile at him, batting her eyes.

   The Captain's eyes widened. "I... No, of course not, your majesty," he replied. "I sincerely apologize. Welcome to the Imperial army, madame." He bowed.

   Mina hummed. "I shall accept your apology...  _this_  time," she threatened. As the Captain walked away, Mina dropped her shoulders and turned around. She flashed a grin at her friends, returning back to her usual state of bubbly and cheerful while still being playful and sarcastic. "How was that?"

   Donald, Goofy, and Mulan had shocked faces. "Where did you learn to act so well?" Mulan wondered. "I could use some tips."

   "You're tellin' me," Mushu added, to which Mulan just shushed him.

   Sora walked to Mina's side, throwing his arm around her shoulder. "Mina's always been persuasive. It always worked with me and Riku," he explained. "And our teachers at school."

   Mina laughed. "I just got really good at convincing my teachers to give the class an extra day on turning in homework," she added with a friendly wink.

   After that, Mina was sent into a tent and was to remain there for the rest of the trip to the Land of the Dragons. Mina was seriously regretting her decisions. She had no idea the most action she was going to get was pretending to be a stuck up princess of a made up region in the world. Mina sunk down in her seat. "This blows," she mumbled.

   She stared up at the wall of the tent and smiled to herself. "If Riku were here, he'd have come up with a better plan," Mina mentioned, speaking to quite literally no one. "He's always come up with the best plans. He was the one who came up with the idea to build the raft in the first place."

   Mina sighed. She missed Riku everyday, it seemed. Mina missed Kairi, too. She missed being on the island with her three best friends. She missed the simpler times... where her only problem was accidentally sharing a Paopu fruit with Riku... where all she worried about was homework and getting home before curfew... where Kairi was oblivious to the crushes Riku and Sora had on her, and Mina having to keep it to herself. It was a wonder how Mina managed to keep it to herself over the past few years, for Mina had always been awful with keeping secrets.

   Mina was glad she had been on the adventures she'd gone on, but... was it worth being away from everyone she cared about? Mina was more than grateful to still have Sora by her side. The experiences they'd shared together were unmatched. Mina didn't know what she'd do without Sora.

   It baffled her how she and Sora were the two out of their friend group with the weakest relationship. They had never been close until their first adventure together. Mina was close to Kairi naturally because they were the only girls in the group. They also got along perfectly. Their personalities just clicked like a lock and key. Then, of course, Mina was close to Riku because of their similar age and because Mina believed that there was more to Riku. Naturally, she was right. There was no one who put up the "tough guy" front better than Riku, and likewise, there was no one who could break through that act better than Mina.

   Sure, everyone loved Riku and knew him extremely well, but Mina was the only one who understood practically all the parts of Riku. Perhaps that was because she had always been able to understand the good and the bad in almost all cases, given her state of being the universe's balance. Still, Mina and Riku got along extremely well because of it.

   Mina would always laugh and hear Riku's side comments, including the somewhat more sarcastic and snarky ones. Mina always matched Riku's comments and wit with smartass remarks and wit of her own. Mina learned to be quicker on her feet, tougher, and smarter because she wanted to be able to get through to him even at a young age.

   Mina reached up and touched the scar on her cheek that came from the final fight against Riku. It was the fight where she sacrificed her light. Mina hated that the fight was the last memory she had of Riku. She missed him everyday. She knew he was more than darkness. She just wished she could have gotten through to him sooner...

   What felt like years was simply a few hours of sitting inside a tent until a group of soldiers led Mina to the Emperor's Palace. She thought she would have been waiting longer before her friends saved the day.

   Hell, Mina nearly cried when she found out that she didn't have to wait any longer.

   She stood beside Captain Shang Li as the Emperor spoke to Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mulan. She was finally caught up in everything that had happened thanks to the soldier who escorted her on her way to the palace. Mina observed silently with her hands behind her back, eyes bright with curiosity.

   "I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan," said the Emperor. She nodded, her hair now down. Mulan bowed. Mina was happy Mulan didn't need to impose as a man any longer. "You stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated an Imperial soldier. You deceived your commanding officer, shamed the entire Chinese army, and dishonored your family name."

   Sora sighed, shaking his head. "We get the picture..." he trailed off.

   "You're a young woman," continued the Emperor. The others watched nervously in anticipation. "And in the end... you have saved us all." Mina's eyes widened at the end of his long monologue. She bounced on the balls of her feet excitedly as the soldiers below bowed for Mulan.

   "Your Excellency," began Mulan.

   "Captain Li," called the Emperor. Shang Li walked forward and gave Mulan a sword. "Take this, so the world will know what it is you have done for China."

   "Thank you," Mulan gratefully said.

   Mina shot her fist in the air. "Alright, Mulan! That's what I'm talkin' about!" she cheered. "Girl power!" The others glanced back at the girl, who shrugged. "Hey, princesses can be excited, too!"

   "Sora, Donald, Goofy," said the Captain. "Thank you."

   "'Thank you'?" repeated the Emperor. "Is that all there is to say, Captain? If you wish to win the heart of Fa Mulan, China's bravest woman, you'll have to be a bit more eloquent than that!"

   Everyone erupted in giggles. Mina approached her friends again with a smile. "So I leave you guys alone for a few hours and you save an entire country?" she asked. "Can I get your autograph?"

   The others laughed. "Thank you, guys," Mulan said to the boys. She turned to Mina. "You, too, Mina."

   Mina raised her hands innocently. "Hey, I didn't do anything," Mina insisted. "I just sat around and tried not to die from boredom."

   Mulan shook her head. "No, you taught me that being a girl is way better than being a boy," she admitted.

   "Well, you don't have to be Einstein to figure that one out!" teased Mina with a friendly wink, causing everyone to laugh again.

   "Now they gotta let me go back to being a guardian," said Mushu to no one in particular. "They gotta!"

   The others exchanged perplexed looks. "But, Mushu, I thought you already were a guardian," confessed Goofy.

   "What? Oh, no... No, don't even worry about that. It's just really... uh, technical for us guardians," Mushu lied, laughing unsurely.

   "You tricked us!" yelled Sora.

   "Why I oughta...!" started Mina. Mina and Sora started to run after Mushu, but they were distracted by Mulan's sword proceeding to glow. Mina's eyes widened. "Finally, something interesting to do!"

   The Keyblade wielders summoned their weapons and raised them to the sky. As Sora locked the world, Mina balanced the light and the dark. They truly did make a good pair.

   Mina smiled at Sora once they were done. Back then, she would've never thought they'd be as close as they were now.

   But Mina was glad fate still managed to surprise her.


	8. Temptations

   After running around in Beast's Castle, Mina still felt like she was slightly behind in terms of saving the worlds. Perhaps it was because she had sat on the sidelines the entire time they were in the Land of the Dragons. Regardless, now that the gang had just locked up the world Beast's Castle resided in, Mina was ready to keep fighting off the forces of evil.

   "Donald, I think you need to invest in a new GPS or go back to pilot school," admitted Mina, looking around the dark cavern they stood in. "This place looks nothing like the Olympus Coliseum."

   "Hey, don't blame the pilot!" Donald defended. "Besides, I got us to the right place, didn't I?"

   "I dunno," admitted Sora, looking around. He could feel the bad vibes coming off of their surroundings. "Are ya sure this is the Coliseum?"

   "It's that way!" Donald revealed, pointing toward nearby doors that emitted light.

   "Oh!" Sora exclaimed, walking toward it. "Guess we were a little off."

   Mina hummed and shrugged. She followed behind them when suddenly, the sound of a girl screaming in terror flooded their ears. "What the—!" yelled Mina, spinning around. Her brown eyes widened upon noticing a girl running away from Heartless. "That girl's in trouble!"

   Mina and Sora summoned their Keyblade, sprinting into the fight without hesitation. "Thundara!" shouted Mina, wiping out a large chunk of the Heartless. She chucked her Keyblade at another crowd of them, wiping them out with ease. The Keyblade flew back toward her like a boomerang, taking out more Heartless. Mina caught the weapon with ease.

   "Geez, are you sure you're the one that's behind?" asked Sora. "It looks like you're ahead of us! Maybe we just needed the Land of Dragons to catch up to you, Mina."

   Mina shrugged. "Don't worry," admitted Mina. "You're still trying to get back all of your abilities you forgot while you all were asleep. You'll be back before you know it!" She turned to the woman, offering a hand. "Are you alright?"

   "Yes, thank you," she said. The woman ignored Mina's hand, getting up on her own. "And you're supposed to be...?"

   "I'm Sora, he's Donald, and that's Goofy," Sora introduced. "And this is Mina. We came down to see how Hercules is doing."

   The woman paused. "You know Wonderboy?"

   "Yeah, 'cause we're heroes, too!" Donald declared proudly with his hands on his hips.

   "You mean junior heroes, Donald," pointed out Goofy.

   The woman chuckled. "Looks like we have a friend in common," she noted. "Name's Megara. My friends call me Meg."

   Mina paused, hearing a voice in her head.  _"It's a long story, but my name's Ventus. Call me Ven."_  Mina couldn't help but tense. She placed a hand over her heart at the memory.

   'I didn't forget about our promise, Ven,' thought Mina. 'I just have to figure out some things first, but it's all important to the mission. I'm gonna get you out of my heart sooner than you know it...'

   "You ready, Mina?" asked Sora, pulling Mina out of her thoughts.

   Mina snapped her eyes forward. "Huh?"

   Sora smiled at her goodheartedly. "Meg wants us to talk to Hades about getting him to stop sending Heartless for Hercules to fight," he reminded her. "Apparently, he's getting winded. But Meg doesn't want Hercules to know what we're doing, so it's a secret."

   "Ohh, yeah, I knew that!" exclaimed Mina, very obviously lying. Sora chuckled at her response, shaking his head. "Alright, let's pay Mr. Anger Issues a visit."

  As the group of four headed into the Cave of the Dead, they were faced with numerous Heartless. Mina couldn't remember the last time she had seen this many up close and personal, but she didn't mind. Still, Mina shouldn't have been surprised, given that they were in the Underworld, after all.

   The Cave of the Dead oozed darkness, which again, wasn't exactly shocking information. Mina held disdain toward Hades and his schemes. She knew that sending Heartless for Hercules was apart of some greater plot. They just needed to eliminate the plan before Hades could fulfill it to its horrific potential.

   Mina could feel part of her growing weaker and another part of her growing stronger all at the same time. She felt the light in her becoming overwhelmed with all of the negative energy that surrounded her. Meanwhile, the dark in her was practically jumping at the opportunity of being in the Underworld. It was a twisted tale of bittersweet that Mina disliked quite a bit. However, this could act as an opportunity to tap into one side of herself more than others. Maybe then she could flaunt to that annoying Organization member that she figured out how to tap into the different sides of her heart without their help.

   Mina narrowed her eyes at a group of Heartless, feeling the dark in her jump in her heart. "Use your powers for good and you'll be fine," Mina reminded herself. "Darkness is apart of my powers, but if I use it for good, then it's not bad, right?"

   "Mina, this way!" called Goofy.

   Mina quickly shot a ball of dark fire at the Heartless, extinguishing the enemy rapidly. She smiled, satisfied with her work. "Coming!" she hollered back.

   She trotted over to her friends, spotting an opening with a small strip of land to walk on. Goofy and Donald shook nervously. They were scared of their environment, clearly. Anyone with a heart full of light would be; however, Mina just felt conflicted in her heart.

   Sora marched forward. "Hades, come out!" he yelled in demand. When Hades didn't appear, the four ran up the strip of land up to a large door. Fighting Heartless in the process, they broke into the room and discovered Hades and someone Mina didn't recognize talking quietly. Sora whispered to the blonde, "That's Pete!"

   Nodding, Mina watched carefully as they looked down into a pit. "By, uh... By the way, what's down there...?" nervously asked Pete.

   "Only the Underworld's deepest dungeon. This time, I'm bringing out the mother of all bad guys!" excitedly declared Hades.

   "You... You don't say," Pete said, backing away from the portal. "Well, maybe I should go."

   Hades said nothing in response. He just shot two balls of fire down into the portal. Then, there was a giant flash and a man wearing a red cloak was summoned. Hades laughed briefly before he spoke. "Let's cut to the chase. Here's the deal. I'm going to give you an offer: I let you out of the slammer—no strings, you'll be as free as a bird, and for one little job. Fight Hercules to the death!" offered Hades.

   The man shook his head. "This is my story and you're not part of it," he said, getting into a fighting stance.

   Hades grew angry. "Did you forget who you're talking to?" he hissed. "I am the Lord of the Dead!"

   "No wonder no one wants to die."

   Mina had to slap a hand over her mouth in order to hold back her laugh. "YOU ARE FIRED!" Hades shouted, turning dark red. Hades went to attack the stranger, but he blocked his attack.

   "Hey, hothead!" Mina yelled, getting out of her hiding place. Sora, Donald, and Goofy followed in her steps.

   Hades groaned at the sight of the four. "You four again!" he growled. Hades turned around and hit the strange man to the ground, unconscious. He turned his attention back to the heroes. Everyone instantly jumped into battle.

   Mina swung her Keyblade at Hades, feeling more and more worn out with every movement. It seemed that although she was fighting with all of her might, they were making minimal progress against Hades. Mina narrowed her eyes at him. Did she have to use darkness in order to defeat Hades? Was she supposed to play his game in order to win it? That seemed to be the only way she could win, even if she was feeling incredibly fatigued. She started to conjure her heart's darkness when she was interrupted by Sora speaking, gaining her full attention.

   "I... feel funny all of a sudden," admitted Sora, putting his hand on his head.

   "That's right! You see, that's the thing. In the Underworld, Heroes are zeroes. Comes with the territory," revealed Hades. "The bigger the Hero, the harder the fall."

   Mina looked down at her hands before she shook her head. It was too risky to try to use the darkness. She looked back at Donald, Goofy, and Sora. They were all equally as exhausted. The four of them needed to get out of there. "Sora!" Mina shouted as Hades was about to strike the boy. The man in red from before jumped forward and blocked the attack.

   "Go, get out of here!" the stranger barked.

   "But I've got to talk to Hades!" Sora yelled.

   "It's no use, Sora," Mina called. "We'll talk to him later. It's too risky right now!"

   The five ran out of the room, moving as quickly as possible in order to escape the Underworld. Between scurrying away from Hades and fighting Heartless alongside the man in red who they had learned was named Auron, all Mina wanted to do was get the hell out of the Underworld. Still, she couldn't help but use darkness on their enemies. It was reviving her energy and it was effective on the Heartless, including Hades's three-headed dog, Cerberus. Maybe this was what Master Yen Sid wanted from her when he said she needed to learn how to understand her abilities properly?

   Upon arriving at the front of the Coliseum after parting ways with Auron, Mina could feel her strength come back to her as quickly as it left. She felt like she was ready to take on anything again. She was walked behind Sora with Donald and Goofy on either side when Sora stopped in his tracks. "Hey, Donald, Goofy, go on ahead," he said. "I gotta talk to Mina about something."

   Donald and Goofy shrugged and continued on their way. Mina furrowed her eyebrows together. "Is everything alright, Sora?" asked the blonde.

   Sora looked down at the ground, unsure of himself. "You were using dark magic in the Underworld," he said after a moment of silence.

   Mina's heart skipped a beat in her chest. "No, I wasn't," she lied. She couldn't just reveal she was using darkness,  _especially_  not to Sora.

   Sora shook his head. "It's not a question. I saw you do it. No, I felt you doing it," Sora explained. He looked up at her, disappointment written on his face. He placed his hand over his heart. "I felt it in my heart. We're still connected, you know." He paused. "Why?"

   Mina rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I... I can't stop thinking about what that guy from Organization XIII said. They want to use me for their plans," started Mina. "They said they could help me tap into the different sides of my heart, but I couldn't let them persuade me to their side. I wanted to figure it out myself. I thought... maybe if I could use the dark side, then I could figure out how to use the light just as easily, you know?"

   Sora frowned. "What were you going to do if your heart became unbalanced again? It took you an entire year to recover," scolded Sora. "It's too risky to be testing theories. You know that, Mina! It's too dangerous!" Mina looked down, unsure of what to say. "I already lost my best friend. I can't lose my sister, too. I just can't."

   Mina's eyes shot upward to see Sora. Now, it was making sense why he was more upset than Mina had been anticipating. He wasn't mad; he was scared. Sora had lost so much over the course of the past year—his friends, his home, his family. He nearly lost Kairi and God knows where Riku is. Sora didn't know what he would do if he lost his big sister in the process.

   Mina walked toward him, noticing how glassy his eyes had become. "Look at me," softly said Mina. Sora hesitantly looked up from where he was staring at the ground. "What I did was stupid and reckless. I wasn't thinking straight. You don't understand because your heart is full of pure light. Mine isn't. It's divided perfectly between light and dark. It's easier for me to give into temptations. I was cutting it close in the Underworld, but now that I know what's at stake, I won't do it again. I promise." She gave him a soft smile. "And I don't break my promises. You know that. I'm sorry, Sora."

   Sora flashed a grin at her. "Apology accepted," he replied, happy to hear that Mina still had her head screwed on straight.

   "Our hearts are connected, which means our light is, too. Whenever I feel tempted, I'll just think of you and our friends," added Mina. "Now give me a hug, loser." Sora laughed and engulfed Mina in a hug.

   Together, they linked arms and approached the steps of the Olympus Coliseum. Donald and Goofy had been patiently waiting for the Keyblade Wielders when Hercules swung open the door and walked with his head hung low. He picked up his head quickly when he noticed the four heroes. "Sora, Mina, Donald, Goofy! When'd you guys get here?" he asked, happy to see the gang.

   "Hey, Herc!" greeted Sora.

   "You on another adventure?" Hercules wondered. Meg stood nearby the doors, keeping her distance.

   "Yeah, trackin' down some friends, beating up some Heartless," casually replied Sora.

   "Trying to stay sane with a bunch of half-pints," added Mina. She and Hercules laughed at her comment, whereas the others remained confused.

   "Junior Heroes, always busy," Hercules commented. He motioned for the four to follow him into the Coliseum. "So you find those friends of yours?"

   "No, not yet. But when we got here, we ran into Meg—" started Sora, only for Mina to interrupt him by adding, "Mega trouble! We had to help someone out. We tried to kick Hades's ass, but things got out of hand. The Underworld is the perfect spot for beating up heroes of any kind. Do you have any ideas on how we can get through to Hades?"

   Hercules paused, thinking about it for a moment. "Well, there's this stone that guards the Underworld's curse. The Gods on Mount Olympus use it whenever they have to go down there," explained the demigod.

   "That sounds like something we need," admitted Mina.

   "Think we could borrow it?" asked Sora.

   "Sure, why not? I'll go get it for you," answered Hercules. "But Hades is no pushover, even if you have the stone. And I have a match today, so I can't go with you." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Know what you need? Training! Why don't you go ask Phil?"

   "Hey, good idea!" admitted Sora. The others beside him nodded eagerly.

   The four made their way out into the arena. Phil looked like he was setting up for the match. "Hey, champ! Better rest up for tomorrow's match!" Phil exclaimed. He must've thought they were Hercules. "Nobody's gonna pay for a worn out hero, capiche? Remember what I told you. Victory comes down to the games in two simple words. Eat, bathe, sleep!"

   Mina and her friends counted on their fingers. "I guess you don't need to be good at math in order to train heroes," joked Mina as they all laughed. Phil turned around, surprised. He greeted the four with a hug.

   "Well, if it isn't the Junior Heroes!" greeted Phil.

   "Lookin' good, Phil!"

   "Yeah, how's it going?"

   "Never better!" admitted Phil. "How have you guys been? Have you earned your true hero wings yet?"

   Sora, Donald, and Goofy were hesitant with their replies, but Mina stood up tall. "I'm a Keyblade Master now!" Mina pridefully answered.

   "That's what I'm talkin' about!" cheered Phil. "As for the rest of you... Nope, you ain't got what it takes. So what's up?"

   After explaining the gist of their problems, Phil agreed to help the four train. As their training quickly came to an end, Hercules informed the gang of a shocking truth. The Olympus Stone was stolen by a figure in black. Of course, by then, it was revealed that Hades kidnapped Meg and trapped her in the Underworld. Hercules wanted to rescue her, but he had a match against the Hydra. Therefore, Hercules chose to rely on the four Junior Heroes to find and rescue Meg.

   As Mina and her friends made a beeline for the Underworld, they discovered Phil lying on the ground, defeated by the figure in black. It was truly up to the four to save the day.

   They traveled further and further into the Underworld. It was then when a figure in black appeared before them. Mina gasped. "It's an Organization member!" she realized. The man stood with his hood down, revealing blonde hair and a youthful face. This was the first one they'd seen without their hood covering their face.

   "Wait a sec..." trailed off the Organization member. "Roxas?"

   Mina's heart rate quickened at the sound of her friend's name. Sora, confused, asked, "Excuse me?"

   "Roxas?" the man tried again. He sighed. "Oh, it's no use."

   Mina took a step forward, protective. "How the hell do you know that name?" demanded Mina.

   "Huh? What are you talking about? Mina, who's Roxas?" Sora questioned.

   Mina paused. "It's a long story. He's a friend," she vaguely answered. "Answer the question, asshole!"

   The man brushed her off, pulling out a note from his pocket. "Yeah, yeah. I know of you, too, Great Divide," the man said. "Let's see, here..." the man trailed off. He read the note aloud: "If the subject fails to respond, use aggression to liberate his true disposition." He stuck the card back in his pocket. "Right... Did they ever pick the wrong guy for this one..."

   Sora folded his arms over his chest. "You're bizarre..."

   The man held out the stolen stone, causing Mina and her friends to gasp. "Now that's just plain rude!" he exclaimed.

   After fighting and defeating the strange Organization member, the four managed to retrieve the stone and continue their mission. Mina was shocked. How did that man know Roxas? How did Roxas know Organization XIII? He was a Nobody, sure, but... was it possible he was apart of that freak show?

   Mina seemed to be stuck in her thoughts throughout the mission to rescue Meg, which included fighting Pete and his Heartless. She was just glad Hercules showed up when he did. Between defeating Pete, running back to the Coliseum to discover that Hades had sent another Hydra, and defeating it, Mina was ready to take a well-deserved nap.

   She felt bad for Hercules. He was so worn out and disappointed that he let the Coliseum get destroyed. But Mina was confident he'd get back to his old self again.

   When it was time to lock up the world and balance the light and dark, Sora and Mina worked quickly. Still, there was one thing that she couldn't quite shake off.

   How did Organization XIII know Roxas?


	9. A Heart's Purpose

   When Mina was young, she despised princesses. She found the idea of royalty and having others doing things for her ridiculous. She never thought it was remotely pleasurable to have people protecting you and taking care of you when you could simply get up and do something yourself. Mina remembered when Sora and Riku used to make her be the princess when they'd play together. Mina hated every minute of it. She thought God had blessed her personally when the boys finally decided to let her sword fight and go on all kinds of adventures together. Then again, that was merely a personal preference.

   Still, when she and her friends arrived at the Disney castle, the little girl inside her was in complete awe. Although Mina disliked princesses today, she loved them when she was a toddler. If only her toddler-self could see the beautiful castle she stood before today...

   "So this is the castle," Sora commented. "Must be nice to be home, huh?"

   "This place is incredible!" exclaimed Mina, looking around. She attempted to take in every detail, not wanting to miss a single spot. Mina looked over to see Donald and Goofy, an unsure look on their faces. "Guys, is everything alright?"

   "Hm..." trailed off Goofy. "Ya know, something just doesn't feel right." Donald nodded in agreement.

   Sora and Mina exchanged glances, unsure of what they were talking about. Then again, they had lived here for a long time. If they said something was wrong, then Mina was going to take their word for it. It seemed that Donald and Goofy's worries were confirmed with lightning speed, for Chip and Dale scurrying toward the group caught their attention.

   "You're back!" Chip exclaimed.

   "Move it! Let's go!" Dale added.

   "Queen Minnie needs to see you!"

   "The castle's in danger! Hurry! To the library!"

   Mina's eyes widened as the two ran ahead of them. "Let's go!" she declared, running after Chip and Dale. Her friends followed shortly behind. Once they arrived inside of the castle, Heartless emerged.

   "Heartless!? In the castle!?" Donald cried.

   The gang quickly fought them off. Now that they were inside of the castle, Mina could feel the darkness looming in every corner. She felt that same feeling in her heart from before in the Underworld. The light half of her felt intimidated by the darkness, but the dark half of her was jumping at her environment. Mina clenched her jaw. She promised Sora she would stay strong and that she wouldn't give into temptations. Mina just had to keep reminded herself this.

   Pushing their way into the library, Donald and Goofy pounced to rush to Queen Minnie's side. Donald instantly saluted toward the mouse. "Your majesty, Queen Minnie, we're back!" Donald greeted.

   "Oh, you're here!" Minnie exclaimed. She looked relieved to see her old friends.

   Goofy saluted in response. "Your Royal Highness, did ya happen to summon us?"

   Minnie nodded. Sora walked forward and informally wondered, "Hey, where's the King?"

   Mina sighed and slapped the back of his head. "Sora, you idiot, show some respect!" she hissed.

   Sora's eyes widened. "Oh, right! I'm—"

   Donald leaped forward and grabbed Mina and Sora by their ears. "Ow!" Mina yelped.

   "Sorry, your majesty," Donald apologized. "These are our friends, Sora and Mina."

   Queen Minnie nodded. "Oh, Sora, Mina! Yes, the King told me all about you in his letters," she admitted. "It's an honor to meet the Great Divide in person." Mina flashed a friendly smile at the Queen, smacking Donald's hand away from her.

   Sora stood up straight. "So, do you know where he is?"

   Minnie shook her head, causing Mina and Sora to sigh. "Your majesty, what are Heartless doing in the castle?" wondered Donald.

   "Oh my! So those are the Heartless..." trailed off the Queen.

   "No worries, your majesty!" Mina started while Sora added, "Yeah, we'll take care of 'em!"

   Queen Minnie nodded. "I know I can trust the two of you," admitted Queen Minnie. "Now, there's something I have to show all of you. Would you please escort me to the audience chamber?"

   "Yes, ma'am!" Mina and Sora saluted her.

   Minnie's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh no! I forgot to tell everyone else in the castle about the danger! We must be sure they're hidden somewhere safe!" she realized. "Donald, Goofy, could you go warn everybody?" The two just nodded and ran out of the room. "Alright. Mina, Sora, let's go."

   Mina and Sora worked diligently to protect the Queen from the Heartless as they journeyed toward the audience chamber. Mina was unsure how to fight against so much darkness without tapping into one side or the other of her heart. How was she supposed to be the Great Divide if she couldn't even figure out how to use her powers vested within her heart properly?

   Once they entered the audience chamber, the Keyblade wielders had to fight past more Heartless. Queen Minnie hurriedly approached her throne and unleashed a secret entrance to a room below. Light oozed out into the room all around them, destroying the Heartless instantly. Mina gasped at the warmth of it, wanting to bask in it for hours at a time. Alas, it faded rapidly.

   "The room below is called the Hall of the Cornerstone," explained Queen Minnie. "Our castle has always been safe from worlds that are evil thanks to the Cornerstone of Light, which we keep down there."

   "The Cornerstone..." trailed off Mina, confused.

   "Of Light...?" finished Sora. The two sibling-like teenagers just shrugged and followed Queen Minnie down the steps, reuniting with Donald and Goofy in the process.

   Once they entered the room, Mina noticed the cool darkness that lurked. Their surroundings were filled with sharp thorns, but in the middle of the room was a glowing sphere on some kind of pedestal. "This is the castle's most cherished Cornerstone," revealed Minnie. "But look, thorns of evil are everywhere. I wonder what it could mean."

   Without warning, a somewhat transparent Maleficent was summoned. "Maleficent!" Donald yelled.

   "What the hell!?" added Mina.

   "Well, well, well... What have we here? If it isn't the wretched Keyblade wielder, the Great Divide, and their pitiful lackeys!" Maleficent greeted. Donald charged toward her, not realizing she wasn't physically in the room with them. He ran directly into the pedestal, falling onto the ground. "All in good time, soon you will be able to partake in my vengeance. But you must be patient."

   Queen Minnie sneered at her. "Just what are you doing here, Maleficent?" demanded the Queen.

   "Ah, Queen Minnie, radiant as always," Maleficent greeted. "I'm here on a property venture. I want this castle for my own. However, it is far too bright for what I have in mind. I suppose I'll have to fill every room with my personal touch of darkness."

   "Wherever darkness is, light lingers! You can try all you want, but I'll just overthrow your darkness with my light!" snapped Mina.

   Maleficent laughed. "Oh, don't be so rash, child. You hardly know how to use your powers," she taunted. "Such a shame, and rather, a waste. I could teach you how to use the darkness and the light together, dear, just like you're supposed to."

   "Like she'd ever join you, you old hag!" Sora growled. Mina nodded, standing her ground.

   "You better stop right now if you know what's good for you," Minnie threatened.

   "Ooh, how frightening," sarcastically commented Maleficent. "Very well. I'll stop... just as soon as this castle belongs to me!" She laughed wickedly before disappearing in a green flame.

   Sora clenched his jaw. "What a hag!"

   Minnie sighed worriedly. "Nothing like this has happened before," admitted Minnie. "I looked through all the records in the library, but I couldn't find a single clue."

   "Ohh!" Goofy yelled, an idea popping in his head. The others shifted their attention toward him. "We should go ask somebody who knows lotsa stuff that ain't in any book!"

   "Merlin the wizard!" Donald realized.

   "Oh, yes! That's perfect!" agreed Minnie. "Merlin just might know something about this mess."

   Goofy put on a thinking face. "We saw him in Hollow Bastion, right?" asked the knight.

   Sora nodded. "Yeah, let's go!"

   Mina was about to follow after them, but she paused. "I'm gonna stay with the Queen. Maybe there's something I can do about Maleficent and all the darkness in the castle," decided Mina. The others nodded.

   "Good idea," said Donald.

   "Stay safe," told Sora.

   Mina nodded. "You guys, too," she replied before turning to Minnie. The others exited hurriedly. "So... Got any ideas on how to wash out this darkness?"

   Minnie paused, thinking about it. Then, she shook her head. "I'm afraid not. But tell me, Mina," began Minnie, "I sense a growing darkness in your heart. Is everything alright?"

   Mina's eyebrows shot upward. "Well, it's hard to explain," admitted the blonde. She paused. She was about to explain the full story when unexpectedly, there was a puff of smoke. Out of the smoke walked Merlin, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "Huh? That was fast!"

   Merlin walked toward the Cornerstone. "Interesting..." he trailed off. "This is not good. In fact, I'm afraid it's quite serious." He waved his hand, causing a door to appear. "This is a gateway to a special world. Someone in that world is responsible for what's going on in the castle. Of that, I'm certain."

   "Oh boy!" Donald exclaimed.

   Sora walked up to the door. "Then we should go get him," he said.

   "Wait a moment!" Merlin insisted. "The perpetrators must be stopped, of course. But there is something you must do first. In that world, there is another door identical to this one. I believe our enemies are utilizing that door. As long as it remains open, the castle will be in grave danger. Listen carefully, you must find that door and when you do, lock it with the Keyblade."

   "Got it!" said Sora.

   Merlin nodded. "Now, one more thing. You're heading into a very special world. While you're there, the nature of that world may tempt you to do something dark," revealed Merlin. "You must resist that temptation at all costs!"

   "What do you mean?" Sora wondered.

   "You'll know soon enough! I have faith in you, my lads!" Merlin declared.

   Mina nodded. "Guys, you go on ahead. I'm gonna keep working on the castle with the Queen and Merlin," Mina insisted. "You all didn't give me much time to do anything."

   Sora hummed. "Alright, Mina. Just be careful."

   "I will, loser," teased Mina with a smile. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, okay, guys?" The trio nodded.

   "We won't let ya down, Mina!" Goofy cheered before the trio exited through the door.

   Mina smiled as they left. Then, she sighed and looked back at Merlin and the Queen. "You were saying?" Queen Minnie asked.

   Mina nodded. "Right," she said. "It's a long story. Maybe you can give me some advice, too, Merlin." The older wizard nodded.

   Then, Mina went on to explain everything. She told the two about how in her final fight, she didn't know how to defeat Riku; therefore, she offered her heart's light to Sora because she had a feeling Sora was the key to defeating the darkness. This sent Mina into a comatose state due to her heart's imbalance. The Great Divide sent Mina to Master Yen Sid, who used his magic to send her somewhere she could recover while also train to become a Keyblade Master. He believed that if she was a Keyblade Master, Mina could be a great help in their troubles locating the missing Keyblade wielder and former holder of the Great Divide, Ventus, for their hearts are connected due to the Great Divide. However, when she awoke and was back to normal, Master Yen Sid realized that she still needed to understand her powers before she could search for Ventus and the other missing Keyblade wielders. This was why he sent Mina on a journey with Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

   "I believe the key to understanding my powers is being able to tap into the different sides of my heart and using them to wash out their opposite. If I figure that out, I can use the light to overpower the darkness," Mina expressed.

   Merlin took this into consideration before shaking his head. "No, that's not it. I've met many individuals who have carried this entity in their hearts, and all of them have failed to understand how to use the light and dark in their hearts. You must understand, child, that the entity you possess is fickle and tricky. It likes to make you keep wondering what you're supposed to do with it when in reality, it is quite simple."

   "Well, what am I supposed to do then?" queried Mina, feeling hopeless. "I tried to tap into my dark side and use it for good, but it only pushed me closer to temptations I knew I would regret. That must be the darkness you sensed in my heart, your majesty." The Queen nodded. Mina groaned out of frustration. "The only thing I know how to do is maintain a balance. But what's the point when there's still darkness that needs to be defeated? Shouldn't I be using the dark for good? Is that even possible?"

   Merlin shook his head. "You understand what you must do. You're just not comprehending it," Merlin said. "You do not need to use only light or only dark. Any ordinary person, Keyblade wielder or not, can do this. The trick is using  _both_. Am I making sense?"

   Mina paused. She took this into account. "Use... both? Like, at the same time?" she wondered. Merlin nodded. "Oh, I think I'm beginning to understand. No one's been able to conjure the light and dark to work together before if I remember correctly what Master Yen Sid told me in the past. All the former holders of the Great Divide never figured it out, but I'm not like them. I have the resources to understand my heart's purpose, and I think I get it now." She paused again. "I have to use the light and dark as one. That's what makes me stronger than the others. Sure, I can balance them, but the key is using them together to wipe out my enemies."

   Merlin and Queen Minnie smiled at her. "You're quite wise for your age, Master Mina," pointed out Queen Minnie.

   Mina beamed at the Queen. "Thank you, your majesty," she replied. Mina summoned the Heart's Divide, her Keyblade. "Now that I understand my heart's purpose, I think I have to put it to the test. Let's see..."

   She shut her eyes, envisioning the light and dark in her head. Mina could see them evenly divided in half. She mixed them together, and finally, unleashed them as one. When Mina opened her eyes, she gasped. A large chunk of the thorns disappeared!

   Mina was about to speak when suddenly, the rest of the thorns vanished. "By George!" Merlin yelled. "It seems that you and the lads have destroyed the thorns!"

   "Hooray!" said Chip.

   "Let's have an acorn feast to celebrate!" cheered Dale.

   Mina laughed, beaming. She had finally figured out her heart's purpose. Mina finally understood the true purpose behind her powers. Finally, Mina knew all there was to being the Great Divide. Mina felt like she could truly die happy if there weren't other matters at hand still.

   Sora, Donald, and Goofy strolled out of the door moments later. "Welcome back!" greeted Minnie. "Because of your bravery, the castle is safe and protected again. The three of you and Mina have done so much to help, despite the fact that you were separated. Thank you so much for all you've done!"

   "Now boys, I hope you didn't do anything reckless while you were there?" said Merlin.

   Mina shook her head. "The worst these guys could do," began the blonde. She approached them, throwing her arm over Sora's shoulders in a sisterly manner, "is accidentally save the universe without meaning to." Everyone laughed at the remark.

   Donald turned around, hearing someone at the door. "Daisy!" Donald called. Mina hummed curiously, seeing a duck wearing a crown and a purple dress. "Daisy, I'm back!" Donald ran toward the one called Daisy, who walked gracefully toward him.

   "Who's that?" Sora asked.

   "Daisy is Donald's very special sweetheart," Goofy explained to the teenagers.

   "Really..." trailed off Sora, tucking his hands behind his head.

   Mina placed her hands on her cheeks. "Aw, how sweet!" she gushed. "Who knew someone as graceful as her could love our Donald?" Sora and Goofy chuckled at the question. Her eyes widened as Daisy placed her hands on her hips angrily.

   "Donald, you forgot about our date again!" Daisy scolded. "You'd better have a good excuse this time!"

   "But, Daisy, I..." unsurely trailed off Donald.

   "I know it's an important mission, but you could at least check in every once in a while," continued to rant Daisy.

   Donald looked back at his friends, hoping they'd back him up. "Guys?" The trio was silently watching, trying not to laugh. Donald turned his attention toward the door from before, thinking he could go back in time and fix his mistake. Donald laughed deviously.

   "Donald!" called Merlin, seemingly reading his mind.

   Daisy grabbed Donald's arm when he tried to run for the door. "Going somewhere?" she interrogated.

   "Of course not!" Donald said before running away, sending Daisy to the floor.

   "Donald!" yelled Daisy.

   Everyone erupted with laughter as Daisy sprinted after Donald. Mina smiled widely, a memory playing in her mind.

    _"Riku, you better get back here right now!"_ the memory of Mina played in her head.

    _"You'll have to catch me first!"_ Riku replied.

   Mina watched as Daisy and Donald were replaced by younger versions of herself and Riku. Mina shook her head, unable to wipe the smile from her face.

   "Alright, let's lock this place up. Ready, Mina?" Sora asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

   "Huh?"

   Sora smirked at her. "Thinking about something? Or should I say,  _someone_?" teasingly wondered the teenager.

   Mina's cheeks burned red. "I don't know what you're insinuating, but I wasn't thinking of Riku," Mina defended.

   "I didn't say any names. You said Riku all by yourself!" taunted Sora. "Still denying your feelings, Mina?"

   "Still too scared to tell Kairi about your crush on her?" Mina shot back, sticking her tongue out at him.

   Sora's eyes widened, not expecting this response. "Hey, who told you—?" Sora started.

   "No one had to tell me anything!" Mina replied. "You're so obvious!"

   "No way!"

   "Yes way!"

   "You're lying!"

   "Why would I lie? You're lucky Kairi's a little clueless!"

   "She's not clueless! You're just annoying!"

   "Aw," gushed Mina. "Defending your girlfriend?"

   Sora's jaw dropped. "Why I oughta...!" He grabbed Mina and wrapped his arm around her neck, ruffling her hair up.

   The others laughed wildly at the two. "Hey, knock it off!" begged Mina. "Ow!" Realizing he was hurting Mina, Sora released his hold on her. Using this to her advantage, Mina reached up and hit the back of his head. "Gotcha!"

   Goofy and Donald shook their heads at the two. "Gawrsh, can you believe those two are the key to saving the worlds?" Goofy wondered.

   "I often find it hard to believe," answered Donald in amusement. "At least we have constant entertainment!"

   Sora and Mina managed to hear that out of everything. "We heard that!" called the two.

   "Good!" Donald yelled. "Now, hurry it up, will ya?"

   The two just laughed and proceeded to lock up the world while restoring the balance with their Keyblades.

   These were the moments Mina would find herself missing when the adventures were all over, weren't they?


	10. Midnight Chats

   After traveling through Port Royal and Agrabah, all Mina wanted to do was go to sleep. She felt like she had been on her feet all day long everyday for the past few weeks. While she didn't completely mind it because she knew she and her friends were working toward a goal bigger than themselves, Mina admitted that sometimes, she just needed to take a break. It seemed that break only ever existed when she went to sleep at night, and even then, Mina never got the break she wanted.

   Shooting forward in her bed, Mina found her heart pounding intensely against her chest. Sweat dried against her forehead. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as Mina hugged her knees. The nightmares that came from these adventures seemed to always be suppressed in her mind until it came time to go to sleep.

   It was times like these where Mina wished she couldn't remember any details of her dreams, just like she couldn't in the fake Twilight Town.

   Mina sniffled rather loudly. All of her nightmares varied to some extent; however, they always resulted in something bad happening to not only her friends and loved ones, but everyone. In these nightmares, Mina had no means of winning. She simply had to watch the darkness envelop everyone she'd ever known, even the people she'd see walking down the street in a random world. Mina hated feeling so powerless, even if it was just a dream.

   "Just a dream," Mina muttered to herself, reaching up and wiping her nose on the back of her sleeve. A soft set of knocking on her door caused Mina to jump in her spot, surprised. Who else could possibly be awake at this hour? "Uh..." Mina hurriedly wiped her tears. She cleared her throat, raising her voice. "Come in!"

   The door was slowly pushed open, revealing Sora. He was wearing his pajamas, which consisted of solely sweatpants and no shirt. Mina furrowed her eyebrows together, seeing the sleepy boy at her door. "Sora?" greeted Mina in confusion. "Why are you awake? You should be asleep."

   Sora rubbed his eyes. His spiky hair was in a greater mess than it usually was. Mina felt bad. Had she woken him up? "So should you," insisted Sora with a quiet voice. Mina narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

   "It doesn't sound like you've been sleeping," commented Mina factually. "Are you okay?"

   Sora paused. "I don't usually sleep much these days," admitted Sora. "Can I come in?"

   Mina nodded her head, patting the vacant spot at the end of her bed. "Yeah, sit down," she insisted. Sora moved sluggishly, but nonetheless, he sat down before Mina. She continued to hug her knees against her chest, but now, she wore a concerned expression. "So what's keeping you up?"

   Sora forced a small smile. "You're always checking up on the rest of us. Can't I check up on you for once?"

   Mina shrugged. "Of course you can. It's just in my nature. I care about you all so much," she reminded him.

   Sora hummed in response. He adjusted his hair, causing it to become even messier than before. "I know you haven't been sleeping much either, Mina," revealed Sora. "We might have these walls for privacy, but they're not very thick. I hear you crying to yourself every night."

   Mina fell silent. She yawned before replying, "I'm sorry for waking you up every night."

   Sora shook his head. "No, you've never woken me up. Really," he assured. "Ever since we woke up from being asleep for so long, I'm scared that when I go to sleep, I won't wake up again."

   Mina related to this. "Same here," she admitted. "I've been through so many different experiences with dreams and sleeping, especially from the fake Twilight Town. All it's done is make me never want to go to sleep again. And... Now I have these nightmares. It's like the darkness in me that I've suppressed comes out when I go to sleep. It's infuriating."

   "I bet," admitted Sora. "I have nightmares, too."

   Mina grew interested at this. "Really?"

   Sora nodded. "Yeah. They start out nice. Usually, they're about the islands, and you, me, Riku, and Kairi," said Sora. "Sometimes Donald and Goofy are there, too. And we'll all just be together like we should be. Then the darkness comes out of nowhere, just like the first time we were all separated. Except instead of taking the island, it takes all of you away from me... and there's nothing I can do to help."

   Mina frowned. "That's awful," she softly said. "My dreams are like that, too. They're always about the darkness winning, no matter how hard I try to fight back." She fell silent. "Sora, I'm scared." Sora looked back at her, concerned. "What if all of this is for nothing? What if we lose? What if the darkness wins and something bad happens? You know, like what if my internal darkness takes over me and I can't stop myself from hurting you, Donald, and Goofy?"

   Sora shook his head. "You know that wouldn't happen," he told her. "You'd never let that happen. Never mind that,  _I_  wouldn't let that happen, and neither would Donald and Goofy. We're all a team." Mina smiled at his optimism. "Tell you what, how about tomorrow, we start sharing a room? I'll move my bed in here. That way whenever the bad dreams start or one of us can't sleep, we'll be there for each other."

   Mina sniffled again. "When did you become so wise?" Mina wondered. "You're making me feel like a grandmother."

   "That's because you  _are_  a grandmother," Sora teased. "You're the one that falls asleep by 8:00PM sometimes."

   Mina rolled her eyes and threw her pillow at the Keyblade wielder. The two shared a laugh, careful as to not wake up Donald and Goofy. "Hey, Sora?" started Mina. The boy hummed in response. "Thanks... You know, for being the brother I never had."

   "Aw, you're gonna make me cry."

   "Yeah, yeah," replied Mina, rolling her eyes at his teasing tone. "Don't make me take it back!" The two laughed again. "You should try to get some sleep. We'll move the rooms around after checking out the next world tomorrow. Deal?"

   Sora nodded, moving toward the door. "Deal," confirmed the boy. He stood at the exit, his hand on the doorknob. "Hey, Mina?" He paused, smiling gently. "Love you."

   Mina shook her head. "Love you, too, Sora."

 

———

 

   As expected, Sora and Mina were absolutely exhausted by morning. They were just lucky that the world they were headed toward had a society where it was socially acceptable to have deep under-eye bags.

   Mina hopped down the steps of the Gummi Ship, used to the bright flash of light that would greet her in order to change up her appearance. Mina looked down at her clothing, jumping with surprise. She was in black and white attire, but that wasn't what made her jump. Mina was a Phantom in this world, meaning she had no legs. "Geez, I scare myself every time I look down," commented Mina. "Gotta love Halloween Town."

   "Hey, is it just me or does something feel different about this place?" wondered Sora, who was magically transformed into a Vampire. On the other hand, Goofy looked like the monster of Frankenstein.

   Donald, who resembled a Mummy, looked around. "Well, it sure does look like Hallowee... Wha...?" he trailed off, looking down into an alleyway. The others followed his gaze, spotting twinkling lights.

   "Weird," commented Mina. "Those don't scream horror to me." She folded her arms over her chest. Without warning, Zero went flying toward them out of nowhere. "Zero!" Mina flew upwards, hugging the ghost-dog with the glowing red nose.

   "How've you been, boy?" asked Sora. Zero merely barked happily, floating nearby the others. Then, he zoomed into town.

   Curiously, the four heroes followed after Zero. Mina was grateful to have been able to fly in this form, for that meant she could speed ahead without losing as much energy. "Where is everybody?" wondered Donald.

   Mina shrugged before noticing Jack Skellington in a coffin sled being pulled by skeleton reindeer. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing right now?" Mina queried.

   "I have no idea," admitted Sora.

   Jack landed his sled and hopped out, waving to the four. "Sora, Mina, Donald, Goofy, welcome back! And Merry Christmas!" he cheered.

   "Christmas?" repeated Sora, sharing confusion with the others. "Don't you mean 'Happy Halloween'?"

   "Of course! Halloween greetings from Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King," the skeleton cheered, putting on a spooky face. "Forgive me. I'm in a Christmas mood! You see, I'm running the show again this year—but I need Sandy Claws's blessing, so I'm off to Christmas Town."

   The four turned around to whisper to each other. "Sandy Claws?" repeated Sora.

   "I think he means Santa Claus," admitted Goofy.

   Mina shook her head. "This is an extreme case of identity theft, that's for sure," commented Mina. They turned back around to see Jack now standing on a fountain.

   "Aren't these decorations wonderful?" Jack quizzed. "This year Halloween Town's going to handle Christmas, too!" Mina looked around, very confused about what was going on. "But first, we have to visit Sally. She's working on something no self-respecting Santa Claus can do without. Come along—I'll show you!"

   "A Halloween Town Christmas..." trailed off Sora. The four looked around, seeing nothing but spooky toys and decorations everywhere. Donald and Goofy shook with fear.

   "Weird, but I'm always up for something new," said Mina.

   "Yeah, let's go check it out!" Sora insisted. Donald and Goofy sighed, disappointed. They very clearly didn't want to venture around the creepy world, but it wasn't like they had much of a choice.

   Once they arrived at Doctor Finklestein's house, Jack instantly asked the doctor of Sally's whereabouts. Of course, the doctor wasn't very helpful, as he instantly shooed the others away. Luckily, Sally seemed to walk in at that very moment.

   Mina narrowed her eyes at Lock, Shock, and Barrel. It looked like they were supposedly helping Doctor Finklestein, but she didn't trust them one bit. She disliked them ever since last year when they were working for Oogie Boogie. She just knew that those kids were bad news. She thought for a moment that perhaps they had changed, but when it was revealed that they ruined the doc's experiment, Mina knew they were still the same.

   Ignoring the doc's rage toward the children, Jack turned to Sally. "Sally! Did you finish it?" the Pumpkin King eagerly wondered. "I wanna show my good friends!"

   Sally frowned. "I'm sorry, Jack. I... I need a little bit more time," sincerely said Sally. She looked down, her hands folded over one another.

   "Ohh..." trailed off Jack. He gave her a toothy smile, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Well, that's all right. Just as long as it's ready for Christmas!"

   "But... Jack!" called Sally, but he had already exited the home, claiming that he needed to consult with 'Sandy Claws'. Sally turned back to the heroes. "Please, Sora, Mina. I'm afraid something terrible will happen if Jack goes through with this."

   "You can say that again!" agreed Donald.

   "You really think Jack's up to no good?" wondered Mina.

   Sally shook her head. "No, it's not Jack. He's just so... naïve to things like this," she insisted.

   Jack poked his head inside the room again. "Are those strange-looking fellows in the town square with you all?" asked Jack.

   "Huh?" wondered Sora. "What 'fellows'?"

   "You know," insisted Jack, "the ones who wanted to spoil Halloween AND Christmas? What are they called again?" He tapped the top of his head, trying to think of the name. "Heartless?"

   Mina's eyes widened. "They're definitely not with us!" Sora denied. "But Mina, Donald, Goofy, and I can get rid of them for you. And then we can go see Santa!" Sora held a childlike twinkle in his eye that made Mina laugh softly. Sora turned to see Donald's judging glare. "Uh, but first, the Heartless!"

   Mina and her friends exited the home, only to find the Mayor crying for the Heartless to leave town. They seemed to be ignoring him. "Don't worry, Mr. Mayor!" called Mina. "We're on it!"

   The foursome charged into the crowd of Heartless. With her Keyblade in hand, Mina sliced and diced at the enemies. They seemed to be getting tougher with every world, but Mina didn't mind. The more training they got, the more prepared they'd be when it came to the impending final battle. "Blizzaga!" shouted Mina. Pointing her Keyblade at another group of Heartless, she added, "Thundaga!"

   Mina rolled forward, hissing as a Heartless scratched her arm. She jumped upward and flew into the sky in her Phantom-state. Mina dove back into the group of Heartless. She continued to stab through the enemies, panting heavily once they were all gone.

   "Sandy Claws needs bodyguards with all the Heartless around," enthusiastically declared Jack. Mina stared at him, unsure as to how the man was so energetic after helping them fight off the enemy. "Are you four up to the task?" Sora nodded for the others. "Alright, bodyguards! Christmas Town is this way! The doorway is in the woods past the graveyard."

   The four followed Jack into the graveyard. Then, they exited the graveyard to enter the woods. Jack led them to a tree with a Christmas tree-shaped carving on the trunk of it. "Here it is! The door to Christmas Town!" Jack cheered. "The spooks of Halloween can get so tiresome year after year. I wanted something new, and I found this! Beyond this door is a world filled with wonders that you haven't seen before. At first, I couldn't believe my eyes. Everything was so fresh and exciting."

   Mina had been trying to be the older, mature member of the group. However, the more Jack talked about this joyous place, the more excited she became. "Alright, open the door already! I can't wait anymore!" Mina cried.

   Sora glanced over at her. "I thought you were too old for this stuff, grandma," taunted Sora.

   Mina stuck her tongue out at Sora. "Did you forget I was the only one in our friend group that tried to keep you all from not believing in Santa?" she reminded him. "I can't wait to meet him!"

   The next thing they knew, they were jumping into the tree. First, there was darkness. But then, there was a flash. Cold air blew in Mina's face, causing her to shut her eyes. When she peeled them open, her brown orbs widened with delight. "Snow!?" she yelled.

   "Cool!" added Sora. He sat in the snow, touching it eagerly. "It's so cold!"

   "Oh my gosh, you guys look so cute!" Mina squealed. Sora wore a black Santa costume, Donald resembled a snowman, and Goofy looked like a reindeer. That left Mina to look like an elf with black and white clothing to match Sora.

   "Minaaa," dragged out Sora.

   "We're men!" Donald added.

   "So where's Santa?" indifferently wondered Goofy.

   Jack pointed out at the village ahead of them, just down the slopey hills. "In his workshop!" he answered. Jack took a few steps forward before looking back at the others, who were throwing small snowballs at each other. Jack laughed before asking, "Shall we?"

   Mina continued to admire the snow all around them. She had grown up on an island, so she had never seen snow before in her life. This was truly a dream come true!

   "I'll race ya! First one to the bottom wins!" Sora chirped in Mina's ear before taking off.

   "Hey!" Mina yelled before sprinting after him. The two laughed as they bolted down the slopes. Mina paused, whipping out her Keyblade. "Blizzaga!" She created a path of ice before her. Then, she jumped on top of the path and slid down it. She stuck her tongue out at Sora as she passed him on the way down.

   "Huh? Hey, no fair!" Sora called after her.

   "All's fair when there are no rules!" Mina yelled. She jumped off of the ice path. Heartless seemed to emerge almost on cue. "Whoa, Heartless!? In  _Christmas_  Town? You guys need to sort out your priorities! Stopra! Firaga!"

   "Need a hand?" asked Sora, joining her side.

   "Please and thank you!" replied Mina as they worked together. Once the Heartless were all gone, Donald, Goofy, and Jack finally caught up to them. "Hey guys! Long time no see!"

   "C'mon! I wanna meet Santa!" Sora yelled, grabbing Mina and dragging her through the snow. Goofy and Donald laughed at the two.

   Entering the workshop, the first thing Mina noticed was the savory smell of gingerbread cookies. She grinned wildly, feeling more festive than ever. The warmth of the fire in the fireplace made Mina want to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and watch Christmas movies—like she used to with Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Mina's eyes widened upon seeing Santa Claus sitting and reading through what she assumed was the Naughty and Nice list.

   Santa looked up from his list when he noticed the group. "Well, hello everyone," he gleefully greeted. "Did you come to see if you're on my "nice" list?" Sora walked up first. "Your name?"

   "Sora, sir!" Sora enthusiastically answered. Santa skimmed his list.

   "Sora..." he trailed off. "Ah, here you are! According to my list, seven years ago you told everyone you didn't believe in Santa Claus. Oh, that is unfortunate."

   Sora placed his hands on his head, letting out a disappointed groan. He hung his head low. Donald stepped forward. "What about Donald and Goofy?" asked the mage. Santa looked down at the list for both of the names, nodding to confirm that they were on the preferred list. "Oh, boy!" The two jumped for joy.

   "Am I on the list, Santa? My name's Mina," sweetly introduced the blonde. She gave him a charming smile, her brown eyes sparkling as she watched with anticipation.

   Santa hummed to himself. "Oh, here you are! It says you've always encouraged your friends to still believe in Santa Claus, even if you weren't confident in your beliefs. You're on the nice list, dear," Santa revealed, causing Mina to jump up happily.

   "Am I on your list, too, by any chance?" added Jack. "It's me, Jack!"

   Santa looked down at his list before taking a double-take. "Jack Skellington!?" shouted Santa. Almost as if on cue, there was a loud bang. Santa stood up, making his way toward the room in which the noise came from. "What sort of trouble did you bring this time?"

   "This time?" repeated Sora, looking at Jack skeptically.

   "It's a long story!" dismissed Jack.

   Shrugging, Mina and her friends ran after Santa. They walked further into the workshop and noticed Santa looking around. Santa demanded to know who was there, only for Lock, Shock, and Barrel to jump out. Mina growled in annoyance. Those kids really hadn't changed at all since she last saw them!

   The trio of children leaped out the window and ran away, but the heroes took it upon them to chase them down. Mina and her friends followed them through the snowy wonderland into the tree that led back to Halloween Town. They landed in Halloween Town in their spooky attire again, allowing Mina to fly ahead of the others. They ended up in the woods before heading into the graveyard. Then, they found themselves in a field with a peculiarly shaped hill. Lock, Shock, and Barrel were standing before a large robot Heartless with a cage on the end of its tail. The trio jumped into the cage and yelled, "Get 'em!"

   Mina and her friends quickly took down the Heartless, teaching the misfits a lesson. However, just before they ran off, the trio let it slip that Oogie Boogie was back. Mina remembered how Oogie tried to take over the town last time they were visiting. What could possibly be his plan this time?

   Just as Mina was pondering upon Oogie's plan, Sally went scurrying over to them. "Jack, Oogie's captured Santa!" cried Sally. The heroes gasped. "And he's headed for Christmas Town!" They gasped again.

   "C'mon, Jack, let's hurry!" Sora declared.

———

   Mina was more than relieved once Oogie was taken down again. She had to admit—using her internal light and darkness together was making her feel stronger and stronger by the minute. Mina wondered how much stronger she could possibly get!

   "Christmas is safe again!" Sora happily declared.

   "Thank God!" added Mina.

   "Perfect! I'd better get down to business," admitted Jack. Donald gasped.

   "Wha—!? Leave that to Santa!" Donald scolded.

   "Yup, you oughta stick to Halloween and spooky stuff!" mentioned Goofy.

   "Agreed," Mina mentioned. "And no offense, Jack, but Christmas isn't meant to be scary. It's just not your forte."

   "Jack?" called Sally, walking down the steps of the workshop. "It's done!" Jack cheered upon seeing it. He clearly loved it, for he was putting it on instantly. "Jack, do you really have to do this?"

   Santa walked over to them. "Listen here, Jack. You saved me and Christmas, as well. For that, I am truly grateful. But I can't let you take over for me again," stated Santa to Jack.

   Jack frowned. "But I want to get this Christmas thing right," reminded the Pumpkin King. "Plus you must be tired from all the preparations."

   Santa nodded. "It's true. Being Santa Claus can be tiring, but... seeing the smiles on those kids' faces on Christmas morning makes it all worthwhile," he admitted. "And Jack, you like to make them gasp and shiver. What if someone tried to take that away from you?" Jack thought about it. "We both have very important jobs to do. Mine is to take care of Christmas, and yours is to take care of Halloween. Kids rely on us to do our jobs. You do Halloween the best you can, and I do Christmas the best I can." With that being said, Santa walked back into his workshop.

   Jack leaped up, realizing that the man was right. "Let's go! I am the King of Terror, and I have an idea to make kids really scream!" declared Jack, walking up to the tree.

   Suddenly, Jack's suit began to glow. Sora and Mina summoned their Keyblades, opening up the keyhole. Together, the two restored the balance and locked up the world once again.

   Mina looked back at the snowy Christmas Town and smiled. She could just imagine the looks on Kairi and Riku's faces when she told them about seeing snow for the first time. They'd love it.

   "Hey, Sora," called Mina as they entered the Gummi Ship again. "You think Kairi and Riku would like Christmas Town?"

   Sora kicked off his shoes. "Definitely! Kairi might hate the cold, but I know she and Riku will wanna take some it back home," he said.

   Mina smiled. "Maybe we could bring them here someday," she suggested.

   Sora nodded. "For sure. First, we just have to find them," he mentioned, causing Mina to drop her shoulders and sigh. "Hey, what's that look for?"

   "It just feels so far away!" whined Mina. "I hope we find them soon."

   "We will," promised Sora. "Especially since your heart's connected to mine  _and_  Riku's. For all I know, your heart's probably connected to Kairi's, too. I still can't believe you and Riku shared that Paopu fruit. And on top of that, you still try to make me think you don't have feelings for him!"

   "Sora, shut up or I will kick you off this ship myself!"

   Sora just laughed, running into his room, leaving Mina to shake her head. 

   Sora wondered how much longer Mina was going to deny her feelings for his best friend.


	11. Unexpected Reunions

   "Geez am I glad have two legs again," Mina said as the Gummi Ship landed in a new world. "Sure, it was cool to be a lion cub in the Pride Lands and a fish in Atlantica, but I like being human very much!"

   "At least we had that break in between those worlds in the Hundred Acre Wood," pointed out Sora, stepping off of the Gummi Ship.

   Mina nodded in agreement before her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at her surroundings. But... Sure, it was possible, but... Mina didn't think she'd ever end up in Twilight Town again. "Oh my God..." Mina whispered, looking around. She was in the real Twilight Town—not a fake, digitized one.

   "Are ya alright, Mina?" asked Goofy.

   Mina was about to reply, but she was interrupted the second she opened her mouth. She gasped as Vivi went running past them. "H-Help! The Sandlot! It's Seifer! Somebody please help us!" he cried.

   "Vivi," whispered Mina. "Wait, Seifer?"

   "Sounds like we've got trouble," said Sora. The others nodded, running in the direction Vivi had come from.

   Mina looked around as they bolted through the town. Everything was just like as she remembered it. She gasped again when she noticed Seifer and his gang lying on the ground unconscious. Dusks bounced all around them.

   "Seifer!" Mina exclaimed. She never liked Seifer or his friends, but they were in serious danger! Mina had to help them. She summoned her Keyblade. "We'll take it from here."

   Mina found herself fighting with just a bit more determination than ever. Perhaps it was because this time, the people she was protecting had been people she knew personally. She had known the others in various worlds as acquaintances, but Seifer and his gang were people Mina had actually spoken with on more than a few occasions.

   The Great Divide jumped forward, taking down every Dusk in sight without an ounce of hesitation. Mina clenched her jaw, breathing heavily once they were all gone. "Whoa, are you alright, Mina?" Sora asked. "You seem tense."

   "I'm... I'm fine," admitted Mina, continuing to stare at her surroundings. "I'll explain later."

   "Impressive," said a deep voice. The four looked over to see an Organization member. Mina jumped, seeing as he applauded. "By the way, have you seen a man named Axel? I suspect he's here somewhere."

   Sora scoffed. "Like I care."

   "You see, Axel's no longer acting in our best interest," continued the man.

   "Let me guess," Mina said. She didn't like the feeling she got when the Organization was near her whatsoever. "He's apart of your weird cult, isn't he?"

   "Yes."

   Donald scoffed. "You having a fight?"

   "Not a very organized Organization," added Sora, standing in a fighting stance.

   The Organization member pointed his finger at the heroes. "Don't let your guard down," reminded the man. "Axel will stop at nothing to turn you into a Heartless."

   "Gee, thanks for lookin' out for us, mister," Sora sarcastically replied. "But I'm sure we can take care of ourselves just fine."

   The Organization member nodded. "Glad to hear it," he admitted. "Axel aside, it would break our hearts to hear something happened to you, Sora, Mina."

   "Hearts?" repeated Donald. "You don't have any hearts!"

   "True, we don't have hearts," said the man. He pulled his hood down. It was revealed that the man had long, blue hair. There was a scar on his face in the shape of an X. "But we remember what it was like. That's what makes us special. We know very well how to injure a heart. Sora, Mina, you just keep on fighting those Heartless. Oh, and Mina, I hope you've been considering a switch to the dark side."

   "Hell no!" Mina snapped. "My heart is balanced. It doesn't need any more darkness, especially not from you clowns."

   A Corridor of Darkness opened up behind the man. Sora whispered to the others that they should jump in the portal after him, for it might take them to the Organization's world. "Don't be reckless," ordered the man. "Do you want to end up like Riku?"

   Mina gasped at the question. "What!?"

   "Wait, what!?" Sora yelled, but the man was already gone. Sora looked down. "What did he mean 'end up like Riku'?"

   "Hey, how 'bout you get outta my town?" Seifer suggested. Mina looked over to see him and his friends standing on their feet. "You've caused enough trouble."

   "You know, Seifer, every time I'm nice to you goons, you just continue to be rude," Mina snapped. "Maybe a 'thank you' will suffice next time I and my friends save your asses."

   Donald and Goofy gave Mina a confused look while Sora continued to stare off into space, likely thinking about Riku. "Fine! Have it your way!" Donald snapped. The four turned to leave, but were interrupted by Seifer calling for them to stop. "Make up your mind!"

   Seifer held out a trophy. Mina recognized it to be the award from the Struggle competition. She pressed her lips into a flat line, remembering how long Roxas and Hayner talked about wanting to win it for the whole gang. She missed those times. "This goes to the strongest person in Twilight Town," Seifer said. Sora tried to deny the trophy, but Seifer just shoved it in Goofy's hands before stomping off with his friends.

   Mina clicked her tongue. "The nerve of that guy, I swear..." trailed off Mina.

   Sora furrowed his eyebrows together. "Huh? How do you know that guy, Mina?" wondered Sora.

   Mina rubbed the back of her head. "Remember how Master Yen Sid sent me someplace to recover from everything that happened?" she asked her friends. The trio before her nodded. "Well, he didn't have any place in mind, so my body was transported into a digitized Twilight Town. It's the same Twilight Town as this one, except no one here seems to remember me."

   Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded with understanding. At the same time, Pence came running toward them. Mina's eyes lit up. "Pence!" she exclaimed.

   "Sora!" yelled Pence, ignoring Mina. He paused, looking back at the blonde. "Huh? Do I know you?"

   Mina just sighed and shook her head. "No," she mumbled.

   Pence shrugged. "Do you guys know a girl named Kairi?"

   Mina immediately perked up again. Sora and Mina yelled, "Kairi!? Yeah, we know Kairi!"

   Pence nodded. "Then you better come down to the station right away," insisted Pence.

   By the time Mina and her friends got to the station, she nearly passed out when she saw Hayner and Olette waiting around for them. "Hayner! Olette! It's been so long since I've seen you guys!" greeted Mina happily.

   Hayner gave Mina a strange look. "Do we know you or somethin'?" wondered Hayner.

   Mina opened her mouth, just to shake her head. Sora placed a supportive hand on her shoulder, now knowing more information about Mina's history with the fake Twilight Town. "So how do you guys know Kairi?" Sora wondered. "Was she really here?"

   Hayner nodded. "Yeah. And she said she was looking for you and someone named Mina. I'm guessing that's you," Hayner said, glancing toward the blonde girl. Mina nodded. Her heart hurt knowing that they didn't know her.

   Mina closed her fist, determined to find Kairi. "Where is she!?" asked Mina.

   "Well..." Hayner trailed off. He explained that Kairi  _was_  in Twilight Town, but then some guy in a black cloak jumped in through a weird portal and kidnapped her.

   Mina frowned. She pulled out the old good luck charm Kairi had given her—the one that she messed up making the first time. It had somehow lasted being pushed around in her pocket. One half still outshined the other half. It made Mina smile. She missed Kairi every day.

   Mina looked up at Hayner and Olette, who apologized about losing Kairi. "Huh? Don't apologize!" insisted Mina.

   "Yeah," agreed Sora, sticking Kairi's real good luck charm into his pocket. "C'mon, cheer up!" Sora frowned, looking at the ground sadly. "Like I can even say that..." Sora shook his head. "I gotta help Kairi!"

   "You're tellin' me," said Mina. "The sooner we save her, the better!"

   Hayner stared at Mina suspiciously. "Are you sure we haven't met before? You feel really familiar," admitted the blond boy.

   "Same here," admitted Olette.

   "Agreed," added Pence.

   Mina rubbed the back of her neck. "We have," revealed Mina. "It's... It's a long story. But the five of us were really close."

   "Five?" repeated Olette. "Who are we missing?"

   "R—" started Mina. She stopped herself from saying Roxas's name. "Never mind." She sighed. "It's a long story. But... if you happen to remember me by chance, let me know." She gave them a sad smile.

   Olette shook her head. Without hesitation, she walked up and gave Mina a big hug. Mina was taken aback. "I might not remember you, but I know deep down in my heart that you're a good friend of ours," Olette said. She glanced back at her friends. "Right, guys?"

   Pence nodded, joining the hug. Hayner shrugged and wrapped his arms around them. Mina felt her eyes filling with tears, but she simply blinked them away. Pulling away from the hug, Mina looked around at them all with a wide smile.

   "Thanks, guys," she shyly mumbled. "Really."

   After locking up the world and balancing the light and darkness, Sora turned to the Twilight Town trio once one of them asked what he and Mina had just done. "A new road has opened," Sora explained, "and Kairi and Riku are waiting somewhere along it."

   Olette's eyes became wide. "You'd better hurry then!"

   Hayner leaned forward. "You comin' back?" he wondered, staring Mina directly in the eyes.

   Mina gave him a soft smile. "Promise!" Sora assured.

   "Try not to miss us too much!" Mina added.

   Hayner immediately retorted, "Right back at ya, blondie!" He paused, surprised at how naturally his words came out. Mina's smile grew.

   Maybe it was true... Perhaps when the mind falls to forgetfulness, the heart remains the same as before. Mina was hopeful they would remember her just as their digitized versions once did.

 

———

 

   Arriving in Hallow Baston once again, Mina was muddled to discover that more Heartless and Dusks had emerged. There were far more than ever before. It made her wonder if this was only the beginning. She and her friends made their way to Merlin's house, only to be informed by Cid that Ansem's computer was located. With it, they may be able to get their hands on information regarding not only Organization XIII, but Riku, Kairi, and even the King!

   "Alright!" cheered Mina. "Huh?" She turned around only to discover that, unable to contain their excitement, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had run off. "Wait up!"

   By the time she caught up with them, they all stood in Ansem's laboratory. This was where he did all of his research. A large portrait of the man hung on the wall. Mina stared at it curiously. "Whoa..." trailed off the Keyblade Master. "This must be Ansem's place." She looked around, seeing how messy the entire room had been. "Guess he didn't have much time for cleanliness, huh?"

   "So you made it," a familiar voice came.

   Sora's eyes nearly popped out of his head once he noticed Leon leaning against the wall. "Leon!" he called.

   Leon nodded. He motioned for the foursome to follow him. Leon guided them into a room with a large computer. Sora was quick to jump over to it, pressing various buttons. "This is it!" Sora claimed. He began to press buttons on the keyboard. "Where's Kairi? Where's Riku?"

   Mina nervously watched. She stood beside Leon as Donald and Goofy joined Sora's side. Sora continued to smash the buttons on the keyboard carelessly. "Sora, I don't think that's how you use it," admitted Mina.

   "Easy..." trailed off Leon warningly. "You wanna break it?"

   Sora perked up. "Oh, sorry," he apologized, stepping back from the computer. "Guess I got a little carried away."

   Without warning, a blue creature jumped down from the ceiling. The action surprised everyone in the room. Donald glared at the monster. "Hey! Get offa there!" he snapped. Donald jumped up onto the keyboard in an attempt to shoo it away. However, once he did, an alarm sound blasted in their ears.

   "Attention, current user. This is a warning," a robotic voice threatened. Mina and her friends looked around, unable to identify where the voice was coming from. "Further misuse of this terminal will result in immediate defensive action."

   "Who's there?" asked Sora.

   Mina looked at the computer. "I think it's coming from the computer!" noted Mina.

   "I am the Master Control Program," stated the voice. "I oversee this system."

   "Where are you?" wondered Sora.

   Donald took one step forward, his foot pressing a series of buttons again. "Donald!" the others scolded, to which the duck nervously apologized.

   "Decision gate reached," said the Master Control Program. "You are now under arrest."

   "Arrest!?" cried Sora.

   "What is going on!?" yelled Mina. A light appeared behind them from the wall. Beams of light shot toward Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "Move!"

   But it was too late, for in the blink of an eye, the trio vanished.

   Mina gasped. She ran toward the keyboard, leaving a surprised Leon to watch. "Where did they go!?" she exclaimed. She was scared to touch it. "Damn this technology crap!" The blonde sighed and glanced back at Leon. Worry was written on her face. "What do we do?"

   Leon sighed. He hesitantly strolled toward her. "I... I don't know," confessed Leon, "but I think they'll be okay. You're forgetting who we're dealing with. C'mon, step away from the computer. I don't want you ending up like those three."

   Mina couldn't help but laugh just a bit. She took a step back while Leon approached the computer. From then on, silence overtook them. She watched as Leon tinkered with the computer extremely carefully. Mina had absolutely no idea what he was doing, but it seemed like he knew what to do. At least, that was what Mina hoped.

   Staring at the computer, Mina frowned. She thought about Pence and his peculiar talents when it came to anything technological. Whenever she needed help, Pence seemed to always know what to do because he would just press some buttons on his computer at home and figure it out. Mina knew her way around a computer to an extent. After the basics, she was practically useless.

   Mina remembered trying to teach Roxas how to use a computer after Pence gave up on him. She and Roxas seemed to be a bit more stupid when it came to technology, but at least Mina wasn't entirely clueless. Mina was a fast learner and once she put her mind to something, she never gave up until it was entirely useless to keep trying. That didn't happen very often.

   A sigh slipped out from between Mina's pink lips. She missed Roxas. She didn't know how to explain who Roxas was to Sora—all she could tell him was that he was an old friend. Mina wasn't technically lying, after all. She was merely just telling part of the full truth.

   She wondered if she would ever see Roxas again.

   "You're pretty quiet over there," mentioned Leon as he continued to tinker with the computer. He glanced over at her. "You alright, kid?"

   Mina perked up. "Huh? Always!" ensured Mina. She placed a hand behind her head. "Just a little tired. This entire journey has been way more exhausting than the last."

   "You don't have to tell me twice," admitted Leon. He seemed to have empathy for the blonde.

   Leon and Mina had a very casual friendship. Leon reminded Mina of Riku in his personality. They were both a bit standoffish, but were caring and loving underneath their cold exteriors. Perhaps that was why they seemed to get along a bit faster than Leon and Sora had.

   "How are you holding up?" Leon wondered. "You seem... far away."

   Mina shook her head. "I'm fine, really," insisted the Keyblade Master. "I just... I dunno. I just miss my friends. It seems like every time I help someone, I lose someone else. Last year, Sora and I saved Kairi, but lost Riku to the darkness. We've lost Kairi twice now. It just keeps happening like a routine. I just want all of my friends to be together again. Is that so much to ask for, Leon?"

   Leon hummed. "In a strange world like ours, you'd be surprised," answered the man. "But I've known you and your friends long enough to know that whatever you set your heart to, you'll persevere and achieve. You're strong. If there's anyone that can get their friends back, it's you and Sora. Speaking of, you two have gotten close."

   Mina laughed gently at the remark. When she and Sora were reunited last year when their adventure had just started for the first time, the two were extremely awkward. Sora and Mina had been close for a long time, but once they met Kairi, things seemed to change. Mina gravitated more toward Riku and Kairi, and Sora was the same. They were the least close out of the four. Leon had a hard time believing they were even best friends like they had claimed; however, now, things seemed to be different.

   "Our journey brought our hearts closer, especially after I nearly died trying to help him out," explained Mina. Leon gave her a wild look, which she brushed off. "It's a long story. But... Sora and I have become really close. Sure, we butt heads, but I think all siblings do that. Of course, Sora and I aren't actually brother and sister, but it feels like we are sometimes. I'd do anything if it meant he was happy and safe, you know? Sometimes I forget I'm not actually his big sister."

   Leon subtly smiled at the rambling girl's words. "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," quoted Leon, looking up at the ceiling. "It doesn't matter who you are or where you came from. Family is made up of the people you care about most."

   Mina eyed the brown-haired man curiously. He was never one to give just anyone advice. He never opened up to many people at all, really, which just reminded Mina of Riku. Mina seemed to have a hidden talent of being able to get others to open up to her.

   "I didn't know you were so insightful, Leon," Mina teased kindly.

   Leon's eyebrows went up as he looked back down at the girl. "Don't get your hopes up, Mina," joked Leon. "Aerith told me that one."

   "But you were the one to recite the advice," Mina gently pointed out. "Thanks, Leon."

   "Anytime, kiddo," told Leon. "Don't stop fighting. Face your fears and you'll find the sanctuary you're looking for." Mina smiled, taking his words to heart. Leon looked back at the computer and jumped slightly. "Huh? What's happening?"

   Mina stared at the computer. An orange screen with three animated individuals emerged. "What the...?" Mina trailed off. She approached the computer reluctantly. She narrowed her eyes at the words below the individuals, who seemed to look just like Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "Thank you," she read aloud. "Hm? Thank you for what?"

   With that being said, a light was emitted from behind her and Leon. Sora, Donald, and Goofy materialized before them almost on cue.

   "Well, that's that!" Sora exclaimed, walking forward.

   Mina jumped five feet into the air when she saw her friends. "You idiots!" Mina exclaimed. "I thought you weren't going to come back from computer jail!"

   "Aw, c'mon, Mina," dismissed Sora. "You're talking to three of your favorite heroes."

   " _Junior_  heroes," Mina pointed out with a cheeky grin. Sora reached up and simply flicked her head, causing the blonde to stick her tongue out at him.

   "Look," insisted Leon, pointing his thumb toward the screen. The trio gaped at the sight.

   "Tron, hang in there," Sora vaguely mumbled.

   Leon paused. "So where do we start?" he wondered.

   Sora perked up. "I know! Let's access the DTD!" suggested Sora.

   Mina tilted her head to the side. "The what?"

   Sora stepped to the side, allowing Leon to take over. He began to press buttons that were unknown to Mina. "The King's checking the situation in town. He'll be back soon, so don't worry," Leon explained. Leon paused. "Hey, look. It's asking for a password."

   "That's easy!" insisted Goofy. "It's..."

   "Sora!"

   "Donald!"

   "Goofy!"

   Mina blinked twice. "That's an interesting password," mumbled Mina as Leon muttered, "That's... to the point."

   Leon pressed buttons on the keyboard. Sora was practically breathing down his neck at this point. "Well?" queried Sora.

   "We did it," Leon eventually revealed. "We're in." He turned to Sora. "I'm going to head into town. I need to see what that last shake-up did."

   Sora's jaw dropped. "You're not gonna check out the data? It wasn't exactly easy to get," mentioned Sora.

   "I'm coming right back," assured Leon. He paused. "Hey, Sora—why don't you get started on loading the data and copying it down?" Sora seemed to wear a defeated face. "It's just a few keystrokes. Easy, right?" With that, Leon exited the room.

   Sora looked back at the others. "How the hell am I supposed to do that?" wondered the hero. "I barely got out of Tron's world with my life!"

   "Don't be so dramatic, Sora," said Donald.

   Sora turned toward the duck, crouching slightly. "You were worse than me in there!" Sora exclaimed. He looked back at Mina. "Minaaa! Do you know how to do this stuff?"

   Mina tapped her index finger to her chin, humming as she thought about it. "Hm... I think Pence might've taught me a thing or two that should do the trick," she finally concluded. She walked toward the computer confidently. "Step aside, boys. The master is at work!"

   The three boys leaned over Mina's shoulder as she unsurely tapped buttons. The computer worked the same as Pence's, but regardless, it had been a long time since Mina had touched one of these things. Initially, the blonde was pressing buttons blindly, but soon enough, Mina felt like she actually knew what she was doing! After a few moments, Mina folded her arms over her chest and stared at the screen.

   "Did it work?" Donald quizzed from beside her.

   "Hey, these things take time, okay?" Sora told Donald. He was practically attached to Mina's back, hovering over her. "But did you do it, Mina?"

   "I'm going to hit you so hard you'll pass out if you guys don't shut up," Mina told the boy, proceeding to press a few more keys again.

   The foursome jumped when the screen changed. "Whoa!" Sora exclaimed. "It's doing something!"

   Mina paused. She tried to listen for Pence's voice in the back of her head. "I think... I think it wants to know what we wanna know," Mina decided, staring at the search bar.

   Sora jumped forward and hip-bumped Mina, pushing her to the side into Goofy. "Riku and Kairi!" Sora shouted, pushing buttons in order to spell out their names. Mina shook her head at her best friend. Mina gasped when the screen flashed red. "No way... Even Ansem's computer doesn't know..."

   Sora sulked, backing away. Mina felt her heart shatter not only at the fact that the computer had no information on her friends, but also at the sullen expression on the typically cheerful boy's face. Mina turned to him. "Sora, wait," Mina gently called, following after him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. He stared down at the ground, defeated.

   "Even the computer has no idea where they are," Sora mumbled. He closed his fists tightly. "What am I gonna do, Mina?"

   "No, Sora, it's what are  _we_  gonna do?" corrected Mina. She rubbed his back supportively. "We're in this together. They're my friends, too. We can't give up just because there's a wall in front of us." She paused. "When there's a meteor heading toward the Gummi Ship, what do we do?" She paused. "We work around it. We destroy it. We fly over it. We do whatever it takes to overcome the obstacle. We're going to find them, Sora. I know it. You can't give up on me now."

   Sora looked up, pulling Mina in for a hug. She gasped with astonishment at the action, presuming a simple reply instead. Mina just hugged him back, presenting him a gentle squeeze with her arms around his waist.

   "Sorry," mumbled Sora, pulling away after a long moment had passed. "You give really good hugs, and I kinda needed one."

   Mina flashed a soft smile at the boy. "Don't sweat it," she assured. "We'll find them."

   Sora nodded. The duo returned to Goofy and Donald. The knight seemed to be looking into something on the computer. "I thought I'd ask the computer if it can tell us about them Nobodies," revealed Goofy. The screen flashed red again, indicating that the data was corrupt. "How about the Organization? Hm... there!" Something began to load on the screen, only for it to flash red once more.

   "Stupid computer!" Sora growled. He began to hit the piece of technology, causing Mina to shake her head. However, they were surprised to see that hitting it actually did something. An older, blond man appeared on the screen. Mina didn't recognize him, and it appeared that her friends didn't either. "Who's this guy?"

   "Welp, I see you've got things workin'!"

   The four turned around immediately at the sound of the voice. A short mouse stood before them, his clothing consisting of a black cloak that resembled one of the Organization's identically. Sora, Donald, and Goofy gasped. "Your Majesty!" the trio of boys yelled.

   Mina stared curiously as the mouse pushed a finger of his mouth, shushing them instantly. Mina never got to meet King Mickey, for she had sacrificed herself just before they could have. The four nodded at his action. Mickey began to walk forward in their direction.

   "The computer should tell us the things we need to know," the King said.

   "But it keeps on sayin' the data inside's all ker-skuffled," Goofy replied.

   "All we got is a picture of some guy we don't know," Sora added.

   Mickey glanced over at the computer screen. He jumped once he saw the image of the strange man. "Ansem the Wise!" recognized Mickey.

   Goofy, Donald, and Sora exchanged unsure glances before Sora skeptically queried, "C'mon, are you teasing us again?"

   Mina rubbed the back of her head as Donald asked, "Did you forget what Ansem looked like, Your Majesty?"

   Mickey nodded. "Of course I do! And this is him! I'm positive!" he declared.

   The blonde shook her head. She decided to take a step forward. "I don't mean any disrespect, your Majesty, but I think you've got the wrong idea," Mina said, using a serious voice. It reminded Sora of Riku's grown-up voice. "There's a portrait of Ansem in his study. I could show you if you'd like."

   Mickey's eyes widened, now properly noticing Mina. "The Great Divide!" he realized. "It's an honor, Miss."

   Sora let out a sigh. It seemed like he was just a little tired of everyone getting distracted by Mina's title. "Excuse me! Could you come this way, please?" the Keyblade Wielder requested. He walked forward and grabbed Mickey by the arm, dragging him into the study Mina had mentioned.

   Moments later, the five stood before the portrait of Ansem. "Look, THIS is Ansem," explained Sora. "You know, the guy we all worked reeeally hard to defeat, which included one of my best friends having to sacrifice herself and nearly die  just so we could win?"

   "Oh, that's right—I never finished explaining," Mickey realized. The four looked around unsurely and rather baffled. What was the King talking about? "Well, the man in the picture is definitely the one who tried to take over Kingdom Hearts—the one you fellas defeated. But, what you actually fought was his Heartless. Ya see, he wasn't really Ansem. He just went around telling everybody that he was."

   "Huh...?" Mina asked, trying to wrap her head around the idea.

   "You mean..." Donald trailed off.

   Mina and Donald looked at each other in confusion. Sora and Goofy wore puzzled facial expressions. The four looked back at one another before yelling, "Whaaat?"

   "I nearly died just to help you guys defeat a faker!?" Mina cried.

   "We went through all that trouble to defeat an impostor!?" Sora added.

   Mickey nodded and turned around. "Yep! A fake. But he still had to be stopped," Mickey reminded them.

   "Ah, I can't believe it!" Donald grumbled.

   Goofy scratched the back of his head. "Uh... I'm confused," Goofy declared. "If he's a fake, then what happened to the real Ansem?"

   "Well, that's just what I'm tryna figure out," said the King. "Ansem the Wise should know all about Organization XIII's plans, and what's been happening to the worlds. I'm pretty sure he'll give us some help." Mickey paused. "You know, I came pretty close to finding him once."

   Goofy hummed, thinking. Sora begged, "Don't tell me there's more? I'm lost enough as it is!"

   "Well, let's see," began Goofy. "Some feller named Ansem, who wasn't really Ansem, became a Heartless. Does that mean a Nobody got created when that happened, too?"

   "Yup!" Mickey confirmed. "And that Nobody is the leader of the Organization."

   Mina placed her hands over her face in distress as the four yelled, "Whaaaat!?"

   "I know I've met this fake Ansem before," admitted Mickey, "and I've seen the leader of Organization XIII, too. Hmm, kinda felt like bein' around the same fella."

   "So where did you meet this guy?" asked Sora.

   Mickey folded his arms over his chest. "Gosh, I can't remember," he answered. He looked up thoughtfully at the portrait. "Ansem the Wise—the real Ansem—must know the imposter's true identity. That's why I've got to find him and ask him about it."

   Sora glared at the portrait. "You... You started all of this," he growled with rage. "Because of you, Riku and Kairi—"

   Mina gasped, interrupting Sora. She turned to the mouse. "Your Majesty, do you happen to know anything about Riku's whereabouts?" she inquired. Her heart pounded against her chest anxiously.

   Mickey was soundless for a moment. "He's..." he trailed off. He glowered dismally before them. "I'm sorry. I can't help." 

   Mina frowned. Before she could say anything, Sora marched forward. "Really, your Majesty? Are you sure?" he interrogated. Mickey shook his head. "What about Kairi? Organization XIII might've kidnapped her."

   Mickey gasped. "Oh no!" he worriedly yelled. He looked back at the painting of Ansem. "Sora, Mina, Donald, Goofy..." He turned to the others again. "I was plannin' to go get help from Ansem the Wise. But—now I know I forgot the most important thing. Helping others should always come before asking others for help. We're safe and sound—and free to choose! So there's no reason we shouldn't choose to help our friends! Let's look for Riku and Kairi together!"

   Mina smiled at his speech. She gasped, feeling the ground shake violently beneath her. Sora looked back. "Outside!" Sora said.

   Mickey nodded. "Sounds like we gotta start by helpin' out here!"

   Nodding, the four heroes hurried out the door.


	12. Once Upon A Dream

   There was absolute anarchy outside. Countless white Dusks and varying types of Heartless scattered throughout Hollow Bastion, dancing against one another and violently slashing through each other. They were relentless, not seeming to stop for any reason until mass destruction had been showered onto the entirety of the world. Mina couldn't believe her eyes at the horror that was being unfolded.

   Mina, Sora, Donald, and Goofy used every ounce of might they had within their hearts to fight against their enemies. They were tough... tougher than any other enemy they had faced in a while; however, it was nothing they couldn't handle. Mina gripped the handle of her Keyblade, the Heart's Divide and swung with all the strength she could muster up. She thought she was going to last until the end of the encounter until she saw it.

   Just over the edge of Hollow Bastion, Heartless inched forward. The Heartless weren't the problem—it was the number. There were countless Heartless heading toward the city. How many were there? Dozens? Hundreds? Maybe even one thousand?

   "Holy shit," Mina breathlessly whispered to herself when she had first begun the battle against the one thousand Heartless. That felt like hours ago.

   King Mickey had instructed the four to search for Riku and Kairi. Mina and Sora seemed to feel distressed at the order, for they had promised Leon they would stick around and help out. However, Donald and Goofy seemed eager for them to skedaddle. It was then when they had learned Donald and Goofy were prepared to go against the King's orders so that the four of them could help out just as they had promised.

   However, just before Mickey ran ahead, it was revealed that the leader of Organization XIII was Ansem's former apprentice, Xehanort. Mickey went after him, but before the others could join, the one thousand Heartless jumped in to distract them. And that seemed to be where the four heroes were at now.

   "Thundaga!" Mina roared. She strained every muscle in her body, contorting herself to take out as many Heartless as possible. She threw her Keyblade outward, rolling forward as it headed back into her grasp. This took out a large chunk of the Heartless.

   When they completed the battle, the four bolted in the direction Xehanort and Mickey had headed.

   "Xehanort!" Mickey growled as the four approached the King's side.

   The man with long, silver hair stood with his back turned. "How long has it been since I abandoned that name..." trailed off the man.

   "Out with it, Nobody! Where's Kairi? Where's Riku!?" Sora screamed.

   "I know nothing of any Kairi," confessed Xehanort. "As for Riku..." He turned to face them, flaunting his golden eyes that held nothing but emptiness. "Perhaps you should ask your King."

   "Stop!" Mickey shouted, running forward as Xehanort disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness. He jumped in after the Organization member.

   Sora frowned, falling onto the ground. "He's gone..." trailed off the Keyblade Wielder.

   Mina took a step forward. Her heart ached with pain. She just wanted this all to be over. She just wanted to go back to the islands with her friends. She was exhausted. "What was he talking about?" Mina asked, mostly herself. "What does the King know about Riku that he isn't telling us?" Mina puffed her cheeks out, frustrated.

   "Way to fall right into their trap," said an unrecognizable voice.

   The four turned to discover a red-haired man wearing the cloak of Organization XIII. He leaned against the wall coolly, staring at them with his vivid green eyes. "C'mon, it's a set-up by Organization XIII," said the man, standing straight. He walked over to them. "Xemnas is using you to destroy the Heartless—that's his big master plan."

   "Xemnas?" repeated Mina, clenching her jaw. She stared at the man with her Keyblade in her hands. "Who the hell is Xemnas?"

   "The guy you just saw," dryly revealed the stranger. "He's their leader! Got it memorized? X-E-M, N-A-S." He placed a finger on the side of his head.

   Goofy lowered his shield. "Organization XIII wants to get rid of the Heartless?" reiterated Goofy, perplexed.

   The stranger chuckled. "Man, you're slow!" he commented. "Every Heartless slain with your Keyblades releases a captive heart.  _That_  is what the Organization is after."

   "So what are those guys gonna do with the hearts?" wondered Donald. Mina stared down at her Keyblade. They were after the hearts she and Sora had freed? But... why? 

   "I'm not telling!"

   "You..." Sora finally spoke up. "You're the one who kidnapped Kairi!"

   "Bingo! The name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

   Mina growled. "The only thing I'll be getting memorized is my fist in your face, asshole!" she snapped. She took a step forward. "Where is she!?"

   Axel paused, rubbing the side of his head. "Please," Sora desperately begged. "Just tell me!" It seemed that Mina and Sora had unintentionally taken a good-cop, bad-cop approach. 

   "Look..." Axel trailed off. "About Kairi, I'm sorry."

   Mina shook her head. "You're one of them—a Nobody," she snarled. "What could you possibly know about feeling sorry about anything?"

   "Axel!"

   A man with blue hair appeared between the heroes and Axel. "Uh-oh," Axel murmured.

   Sora proceeded to run forward, but Axel had already vanished. The man with the blue hair stopped them. "We'll ensure he receives the maximum punishment," monotonically stated the blue-haired member.

   "I don't care about any of that!" cried Sora. "Just let me into the Realm of Darkness, okay?"

   The man paused. "You wouldn't last surrounding by all of that darkness. Maybe your friend, the Great Divide will, but not you. If it's Kairi you're worried about, don't," he said. He turned to face them, revealing the X-shaped scar on his face and his piercing gold eyes. "We're taking very good care of her."

   "Take me to her!" Sora yelled.

   "Where is she? Tell us!" Mina demanded.

   "Is she really that important to you?" the blue-haired man wondered.

   "Yeah," Sora answered without hesitation.

   "More than anything," added Mina. "She's our friend."

   The stranger nodded. "Show me how important," he insisted. Sora paused. He looked back at Mina before falling onto his knees. She followed suit. "So you really do care for her. In that case—no."

   Sora and Mina jumped onto their feet once more. "You rotten...!" Sora growled.

   "Why are you doing this!?" demanded Mina. She felt rage swirl through her core.

   "Are you angry? Do you hate me?" the stranger queried. "Then take that rage, and direct it at the Heartless." With the snap of his fingers, Heartless appeared out of nowhere. "Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts. And yet, they know not the true power of what they hold. The rage of the Keyblade releases those hearts. They gather in darkness, masterless and free until they weave together to make Kingdom Hearts. And when that time comes, we can truly, finally exist."

   Mina's eyes widened when she heard Maleficent demand, "What in the world do you think you're prattling on about?" She materialized before the heroes. "Kingdom Hearts belongs to me! The heart of all kingdoms, the heart of all that lives. A dominion fit to be called Kingdom Hearts must be MY dominion!"

   Sora turned and shook his head. "Maleficent, no! No more Heartless!" shouted Sora.

   Maleficent sneered, "I do not take orders from  _you_!" She summoned Heartless to surround the blue-haired man.

   The man was silent. "Fool," he finally said. He snapped his fingers, summoning Dusks. They took out the Heartless instantly, hardly making any effort to do so.

   Maleficent teleported to stand in front of the four. She glowed with Darkness, creating a wall of green fire. "While I keep these creatures at bay, you devise a way to vanquish them—forever!" Maleficent shouted.

   "Maleficent..." trailed off Mina, shocked at what she was doing. Was she making a stride toward the light? Could she have actually had a change of heart?

   "Do not misunderstand me," Maleficent added as Dusks wrapped themselves around her body. "I shall have my revenge on you yet. Leave, now!"

   "I don't take orders from you!" Sora yelled, beginning to walk forward. Donald grabbed his arm, stopping him.

   "Sora, come on!" Donald yelled.

   "Huh? But—" Sora began.

   "He's right, Sora," insisted Mina. "Maleficent can hold them off, but not for long. We have to get going while we can." She glanced back to where Maleficent had been standing, only to gasp when the green fire subsided and the witch was gone.

   "Now, then," started the Organization member. He hadn't moved an inch. "Where did we leave off?" He snapped his fingers, causing the Dusks to disappear. Heartless took their place.

   Mina and Sora readied their weapons. "Which side are you guys on anyway!?" Sora yelled at the Heartless as they circled the heroes.

   "The Heartless ally with whoever's the strongest," the strange man explained. He extended his arm, allowing a Heartless to run toward Sora. Mina leaped forward and sliced through it without hesitation. "Yes, Keyblade Wielders, extract more hearts!"

   Mina snapped her neck in his direction. "If these goons follow with who's the strongest, then they should be following my order!" Mina declared, confusing the man. "I'm the Great Divide—I hold the light and the dark in my hearts, and finally, I can control them both." The Heartless seemed to stop for a moment.

   The man chuckled sardonically. "Oh, don't be silly, Divider of good and bad," he said. "You may be strong, but not strong enough to fight all on your own against me, never mind the Organization. We've had our eye on you for a long time. We've tried to fight against you in hopes you would discover that the dark is the one that will come out on the other side, but it seems that you're more stubborn than we were anticipating. Hm... Very well. If persuasion won't suffice, then perhaps sheer force will."

   Before Mina or anyone could even begin to respond, the stranger snapped his fingers a third time. Mina and the man disappeared into a cloud of darkness, leaving Sora, Donald, and Goofy in their dust. The last thing Mina could hear was the heartbreaking sound of her friends screaming her name.

 

———

 

   A crisp breeze kissed every inch of her body. It whisked her blonde hair behind her ears. Her toes were exposed, her heels digging deeper and deeper into the soft sand. The refreshing feeling of the ocean's cold water reached up to her ankles and the sensation of sea salt lingered in her nose and mouth. The corners of her pink lips tugged upward into a smile as though a string was pulling on them. Mina was home.

   "Why are you crying?"

   Mina's heart lurched forward at the sound of the voice. She recognized it. The blonde turned her head, a rather startled expression evident on her angelic features. Standing next to her was a silver-haired boy who she had known since she was a child. He was older now, the same age as Mina. He was wiser now, more mature. Mina could see it in his sea foam eyes.

   "Well? Are you gonna answer me or look at me like I've grown two heads?"

   "R—Riku," stuttered Mina. That seemed to be the only thing she could spit out. "Riku, what...? How...?"

   Riku gave her a lazy smirk. "I get it," he proceeded to say. "You miss me, don't you?"

   "Wh..." trailed off Mina before his words finally clicked in her head. She turned her entire body toward the taller, more muscular boy with crazy eyes. "Are you out of your mind!? Of course, I miss you, you idiot! You're my best friend!"

   Riku paused for a moment, not expecting such an aggressive reaction. It seemed that after all this time, Riku knew how to push Mina's buttons. A little chuckle left his lips, causing Mina to grow puzzled. "What's so funny?" Mina wondered.

   "You," simply admitted Riku. He took a step toward her. It seemed that he didn't mind that his shoes were becoming soggy from the ocean water. He reached out and with his thumb, he wiped away one of the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Riku paused, leaving Mina to stare at him, bewildered. "You and Sora have been searching for a long time... for me and Kairi, right?"

   Mina blinked twice, her brown eyes glowing gold as the setting sun struck them. "Of course we have!" Mina insisted. "We'd do anything if it meant you two were safe. We just wanna go back to the islands, but we refuse until we find the two of you."

   Riku shook his head. His silver hair fell over his face, causing Mina to realize how much longer it had grown since she last saw him. "You should cease your search, Mina," insisted Riku with a stern tone attached to his voice.

   Mina gasped. "What!? Are you insane!? I know you turned to darkness, but I didn't think you were a complete idiot," the blonde said to him. She frowned. "Riku, where are we?"

   Riku was hesitant to reply. Mina could see it in his eyes. "The islands," he said. "We're on the shore—your favorite spot, remember?"

   She shook her head. "No, that's not it," Mina argued gently. "If we were, Kairi and Sora would be here with us. Sora would never let any of us out of his sight after everything that's happened. You and I both know that. Tell me the truth, Riku. Where are we?"

   "Your heart," Riku finally revealed after a pause. "You were taken by an Organization member, and he put you to sleep when you tried to break free. It's only temporary, so don't freak out. We're only able to speak freely because our hearts are connected."

   Mina nodded slowly. She wasn't sure how he knew this. She wasn't even sure if she was dreaming or not. For all she knew, this could just be one long dream. Mina couldn't trust her subconscious anymore.

   "Riku, why did you say we should stop looking for you?" wondered Mina.

   "It's..." trailed off Riku. "It's unimportant—"

   "Bullshit!" interrupted Mina, taking another step toward him. She had to look up to him. He was much taller than her now. "You know what, don't tell me where you are. Our hearts are connected. I'll find you. I don't care about what it takes. I'll find you even if it destroys me."

   Riku's eyes held worry. "You're awful at listening to reason, you know that?"

   Mina flashed a charming grin at the boy. "And that's why you love me," teased Mina. She paused, feeling her face's wetness. She was still crying. Mina reached up and wiped away her tears. "I... I don't know why I'm crying. Maybe I'm just weak."

   Riku reached out and hit the side of her head.

   "Ow!"

   "Are you out of your mind?" Riku immediately demanded. "You're not weak! You're the strongest person I know. If you ever say that again, I'll drown you in the ocean myself."

   Mina hummed. "Yeah, right," she replied. She puffed her cheeks out. "I miss you, Riku. Sora and I have been keeping each other from falling apart, but not knowing what's happened to you or Kairi..." She looked down at the water. She shook her head and looked back at Riku. "Hey, Riku, can I ask you something?"

   "That depends on what it is," vaguely replied Riku. He folded his arms over his chest.

   "Can I get a hint on where you are?" Mina requested.

   Riku sighed. "Fine, but I'll make it hard. You're smart, so I don't doubt that you'll be able to figure it out. It might take you a minute," he told her. He paused to think about it, leaving Mina to patiently wait. "I have a lock with no key. I have space, but no room. You can enter, but it's hard to escape once you've arrived. When you look in the mirror, you see someone else. Who am I?"

   Mina's eyebrows furrowed together instantly at his riddle. The gears in her brain were immediately hard at work, but what seemed to throw her off the most was the end of the riddle. "Who am I?" repeated Mina. "What do you mean: Who?"

   "Mina!"

   The blonde spun around to discover a boy with a face extremely identical to a boy she once knew, Roxas. As a matter of fact, Mina was convinced this boy was Roxas until she looked closer. Sure, they wore the same faces and the same clothes, but Mina knew that this boy wasn't Roxas. If anything, the greatest indicator was the piece of armor he wore on his shoulder and the cheerful exterior he wore. Roxas was always just a bit gloomier.

   "You almost fooled me," admitted Mina. "I thought you were Roxas." She paused. "Who... Who are you?"

   "We've met once before," he said. His voice was familiar to Mina. "I'm Ventus. Call me—"

   "Ven," interrupted Mina. She nodded. "I know you. I remember you. But... why are you here?"

   "I'm connected to your heart, too, remember?" Ventus replied. "We're connected through the Great Divide, as are the holders of the Divide before you and I. I'm the only one left that's alive, which is why we're able to talk."

   "Oh, I see," said Mina. She turned her head to glance over her shoulder, only to discover that Riku was gone. Mina's heart sunk in her chest.

   "You need to wake up," Ventus told her.

   "What? Why?" queried Mina. She folded her arms over her chest.

   "You've been asleep long enough," continued Ventus. "I don't know what the Organization has planned, but it can't be good. They're using the hearts you and Sora have been unleashing throughout the worlds as a part of their scheme. They want to use the Great Divide for their gain, but you can't let them win."

   Mina nodded. "Right," she replied. "I need to figure out how to stop the Organization. And I have to find Riku and Kairi before something happens to them. Who knows? Maybe something already has." She closed her hand into a fist. She stared at Ventus with kind eyes. "I didn't forget my promise, Ven. I just can't start looking for Master Aqua until this whole mess is sorted out, but I won't let you down."

   Ventus shook his head. "I've waited 10 years. I can wait a little bit longer," insisted the golden boy.

   Mina smiled softly at him. "I'm so sorry you're stuck in my heart, as well as Sora's. It brings me peace knowing Riku is still out there, but... if I can only help one of two people, it almost feels useless," she admitted.

   Ventus immediately replied, "Are you out of your mind? Mina, I trust you. I'll be free someday. I know it." He paused. "I believe in you, and I know Aqua and Terra would, too. Now, it's time for you to wake up."

   Mina nodded. "Right!" she agreed. "Ven, I promise I'll free you. I won't forget." She paused and smiled at them. "Thank you... for believing in me."

   She took a step back and closed her eyes, feeling her limbs become weak as she began to awaken.

 

———

 

   Mina awakened in a room she did not recognize with a gasp, shooting upward with widened eyes. Pupils dilated, Mina clasped her hand against her racing heart. Mina sat on the ground in a room she did not know. All she seemed to recognize was the looming darkness all around her. The poorer half of her heart yearned for more of it, but Mina knew better. She always did.

   The riddle from her dream echoed in Mina's mind. "I have a lock with no key. I have space, but no room. You can enter, but it's hard to escape once you've arrived. When you look in the mirror, you see someone else," Mina recalled, whispering under her breath. "Who am I?"

   "Oh my God... You... You're alive!"

   A body slammed into Mina's. Scrawny arms tethered themselves around her figure in a desperate manner. "I didn't think you survived that fight! It was gruesome, Mina!" the voice continued to bellow.

   "O—Ow," stuttered Mina, flinching at the tightness of the hug. Becoming less disoriented, Mina recognized the voice that was speaking to her. Mina's brown eyes widened. "Kairi!? Is that you?"

   The girl released her hold on Mina. There was a worried, yet relieved look on her face. She smiled. "Yes, it's me," revealed the girl. Tears were streaming down her face. "God, I thought you were dead, Mina. I really did."

   "What?" wondered Mina. "What are you talking about? How long was I out for?"

   Kairi hummed. "You were being dragged in here by Saïx—the man with the blue hair and the X-shaped scar on his face," reminisced Kairi. "You tried to fight against him and those white creatures for your freedom. You gave yourself enough time to run away, but when you saw me, you refused you leave without me. That was when Saïx got the upper hand. He hit you on the head and you passed out."

   Mina paused. Now that she was hearing it from Kairi, she was remembering everything that happened. "You're a total idiot for not escaping while you could," Kairi added.

   Instead of replying, Mina just reached forward and hugged Kairi. "I missed you," mumbled Mina. She leaned her head against Kairi's. "I really, really missed you, Kai. I didn't know if I'd ever see you again."

   The two girls sat on the floor of a purple room. There were bars across the opening, reminding Mina of a prison cell. Outside the bars was a white corridor. Kairi pulled back from the hug and placed her hands on Mina's shoulders. She squeezed them comfortingly. "I missed you, too, M. All this time, I thought you were dead after what happened last year," Kairi admitted. "You need to stop convincing me you're dead before you actually end up dead. At this rate, I'd expect you to pop out of your casket at your funeral!"

   Mina laughed. "Would you expect anything else?" she teased. As the girls shared a laugh, a dog leaped forward and jumped between them. The dog proceeded to lick their faces and bark, wigging its tail gleefully. "Kai, who's dog is this?"

  Kairi shrugged. "Beats me," she admitted.

   The girls shared another laugh before Kairi fell silent. She jumped onto her feet, adjusting her pink dress as she sprinted toward the bars. Mina watched curiously, taking it upon herself to rise to her feet and follow her.

   Mina gasped when she noticed Saïx standing before them outside the cell. "You!" Mina snarled. She gripped the bars. "You're lucky these bars are between us. As soon as I'm out of here, you're finished!"

   "What are you going to do with us?" demanded Kairi.

   Saïx seemed to ignore Mina's threats. "You're both the fire that feeds Sora's anger," explained Saïx. He turned his gaze toward Mina. "And you are the ultimate key to unlocking Kingdom Hearts and Organization XIII's success in conquering all."

   With that being said, Saïx walked away. "Get back here, you prick!" Mina shouted. She punched the bars, hissing in pain. "Dammit!"

   Kairi frowned. "No... Sora's in danger because of me... because of us..." trailed off the redhead.

   The dog began to bark, wagging his tail enthusiastically. Mina was too busy devising a plan to help them get out of the prison they were locked in. Kairi, on the other hand, curiously looked to see what the peculiar dog was yapping at. She gasped. "M," Kairi whispered. "M, look!"

   Mina turned her head to see Kairi's widened blue-violet eyes. "Huh?" Mina followed her gaze, spotting a Corridor of Darkness with a girl standing in it. Her blonde hair was swept to the side and on her body was a plain, white dress. "You!"

   "This way!" whisper-yelled the blonde. 'Naminé,' Mina recalled, 'Naminé is her name.'

   "What? M, do you know her?" Kairi whispered to her best friend of many years.

   "We met in a dream... a long time ago," Mina explained quietly. "I'll tell you all about it when we get out of this mess."

   "Can we trust her?" Kairi interrogated nervously.

   "Believe in yourself," Naminé insisted. "C'mon, hurry!"

   Kairi took a step forward, but Mina reached out. "Kai, wait," urged Mina. "See that portal? That's pure darkness. Trust me, I know the darkness well. Half of my heart is made up of pure darkness. And if I recall correctly, darkness is not something we should be running into so willingly."

   "We don't have a lot of time!" the strange girl continued.

   Kairi took another step forward. "What are you doing?" demanded Mina, grabbing Kairi's wrist. "We don't even know her!"

   Kairi gave Mina an unsure look. "It's not like we have any other options," Kairi reminded her best friend. "Do you trust me?"

   Mina nodded. "With my life, Kai."

   "Then, follow me," Kairi replied. Kairi took Mina's hand and guided her over to Naminé. Then, Kairi extended her free hand and interlocked it with Naminé hand. A bright light was omitted from their mere contact alone.

   Naminé looked at Mina with kind eyes. It was then when Mina seemed to notice that she and Kairi had extremely similar appearances—the same eyes, the same face entirely, nearly the same voice. The only difference was their hair and clothing.

   Before they knew it, the girls were sprinting out of the jail cell and down a long pathway outside. Mina gasped when she noticed the heart-shaped moon in the night sky. It was so beautiful, so alluring. Something about it made Mina feel tingly inside, and she couldn't tell if it was in a good way or a bad way.

   Mina ran beside Kairi and Naminé as the two held hands. The unnamed dog was right behind them. It seemed as though he trusted the three girls.

   Mina's pace came to a stop when she noticed Naminé and Kairi stop a few steps behind her. "What's wrong?" questioned Mina.

   "I—I don't know," stuttered Kairi. She looked back at the blonde stranger.

   Mina averted her attention to what was in front of her when she noticed a Corridor of Darkness open up just a few feet away. Out of it walked Saïx, who had two large Dusks standing behind him. "Naminé," greeted Saïx, "there you are."

   Kairi looked over at Naminé. "Naminé...?" repeated Kairi.

   "Kairi, Mina," called Saïx. "I'm afraid leaving is not an option."

   "You can stay the hell away from us!" protectively snapped Mina. She summoned her Keyblade, prepared to fight the Organization member again. "I'll kick your ass again, Saïx, and this time, I'll make sure the deed is completed thoroughly!"

   "As pleasing as seeing your conversion to the darkness would be through this act, I'm afraid I cannot let that happen," Saïx said. "We need your connections and control of the light and dark. If we needed more darkness, we would have found a way to convert you sooner." He extended a hand toward the girls. "Kairi, Mina, I'll take you to see Sora." Kairi took a step back, hesitant. Mina remained prepared to fight him. "Do neither of you wish to see him?"

   Kairi tensed. "I do! More than anything, and I know Mina does, too," Kairi replied. "But not with you around."

   "If I had a heart, this would be where I die of laughter," Saïx monotonically mentioned.

   "That can be arranged!" Mina threatened. "I've fought countless goons before. You're no different than the rest of them. If anything, you just talk way more!"

   Without warning, one of the Dusks by Saïx's side fell. The sound of its body hitting the ground causing the four to shift their attention. A figure in a black cloak holding an extremely familiar weapon was revealed to be the one to have taken down the Dusk.

   "You..." trailed off Saïx. "Didn't Roxas take care of you?"

   "Roxas," repeated Mina quietly. She raised her voice to demand, "What do you know about Roxas!?"

   Saïx glanced over his shoulder. "Sora's Nobody is our lost Organization member. He left us long ago..." he explained to her.

   "You can take it from here, Riku," Naminé called out, surprising Mina. She'd hardly said a word. Wait, did she just say...?

   Kairi gasped while Mina stood mutely, startled. "Riku!?" repeated Kairi with a soft voice. Her jaw was agape as she looked to Mina. "M?"

   Without saying another word, the figure in the black Organization cloak waved his weapon away and shot a ball of darkness at Saïx. This sent the blue-haired man to the ground. Then, the stranger pinned Saïx to the wall, but he managed to create a Corridor of Darkness behind him in order to escape. The unnamed Organization member froze for a moment. It looked like he was about to step into the portal.

   The dog that had been following Kairi and Mina around jumped forward, barking happily at the man. Mina was frozen, her feet glued to the ground. Her heart was racing wildly all because Naminé addressed the man that saved them by a name she had been longing to hear for a long time.

   Mina shook her head, snapping out of her daze. She needed answers. "Hey!" Mina yelled from where she stood, nervously holding her Keyblade. She approached him. "Why did Naminé call you Riku?" The blonde heroine pointed her brown eyes at him. Her eyes welled with tears and her hands shook as she aimed her Keyblade at the man. "Well? Are you gonna say something?"

   The Great Divide attempted to look under his hood in hopes to see a face she dreamed of seeing; however, he took another step back and turned his head away from her. "Calm down, Mina," insisted Kairi, joining her side. She placed a comforting hand on her bicep before turning to the stranger before them. "You helped us, but... I have to know. Riku, are you really here?"

   Kairi stood on her toes and removed the hood from his head, only to gasp quietly at the man who was hiding in the cloak.

   Mina gripped her weapon. "Ansem..."


	13. The Fall of the Organization

   Mina's head wouldn't stop spinning. She felt like she was going to pass out. She was convinced that she was dreaming—that none of this was real. After all, she had spent many months asleep in a digitized word. Perhaps history was repeating itself. That would surely make more sense than the chaos that had become her life. Nothing made sense, yet everything made sense all at the same time. Her mind was spinning to the point where Mina physically dizzy.

   " _I have a lock with no key_ ," Mina recited quietly to herself for the third time. "That symbolizes being trapped.  _I have space, but no room._  He's trying to break free, but he's drowning in an ocean of... of... darkness, maybe?  _You can enter, but it's hard to escape once you've arrived._  That has to do with temptations and the darkness, of course.  _When you look in the mirror, you see someone else. Who am I?_  Riku is Ansem. Ansem is Riku. Sorta..."

   Mina ran her dainty hand through her blonde hair, causing it to become messier than it already had been. It was times like these in which she wished she had a hair tie to pull her hair out of her face. That seemed to be a reoccurring problem the Keyblade Master had. Maybe if she could pull her hair back, she could feel lighter and able to breathe better. "I feel like I'm gonna pass out," Mina added, just a bit louder for Kairi to hear.

   "You've said that, like, ten times already, M," Kairi teasingly told her.

   Mina puffed her cheeks out. "I know," admitted Mina. "Just... When did our lives get so complicated?"

   Kairi lightly giggled. "You're telling me," replied Kairi. "I'm surprised I'm taking this whole thing better than you are."

   "By "this whole thing", do you mean the fact that one of my best friends looks like the Heartless that was the reason you and Sora temporarily died?" rhetorically queried Mina. She glanced over her shoulder where the Ansem lookalike was trailing behind them, silent. He hadn't said much after his brief explanation. "It's just... shocking."

   "Says one of the strongest girls in the universe," Kairi joked. "Literally." The two briefly chuckled, smiling at one another. Kairi's smile faded, her ears perking up. "Hey, do you hear that?"

   Without even giving Mina a chance to respond, Kairi broke out into a sprint. Mina's eyebrows shot upward. "Wait up!" yelled the blonde. She shook her head, muttering, "That girl has way too much stamina for someone who only ever exercises when she's running late for class..."

   Ignoring the quiet chuckle that came behind her, Mina hurried after her friend. As she did, Saïx's voice flooded her senses. "Now, all they need is one more helping from the Keyblade bearer!" Saïx roared.

   Mina joined Kairi's side as they looked over the edge of a balcony. She could spot the blue-haired man speaking to Sora, Donald, and Goofy from a platform. It seemed as though he had revealed the Organization's plans of summoning Kingdom Hearts through the hearts Mina and Sora had unleashed—a fact Mina had learned through Riku's story.

   Saïx snapped his fingers, summoning all kinds of Heartless. Portals opened up in the side of the wall where even more Heartless poured through. They fell to the ground like a waterfall of darkness. "Sora!" yelled Kairi. She stood on her toes, leaning over the edge with her hands clamped against the white railing. "Sora! It's really you!"

   "Sora, Donald, Goofy!" Mina added, waving her hands. Her heart raced at the sight of her friends. They were okay! They had found Mina and Kairi!

   Sora gasped, eyes wide like saucers. "Kairi!" he called. "Mina!? You're okay! Whoa!" Sora was pushed onto the ground as a Heartless jumped onto his back.

   "You leave Sora alone!" growled Kairi with the ferociousness of a newborn kitten. Without hesitation, Kairi backed up and pushed herself forward. She leaped off of the balcony and ungraciously landed on the ground with a grunt. Naturally, Kairi was instantly greeted by a swarm of Heartless.

   Mina shook her head at the foolishness of Kairi's act. While it was courageous and filled with good intentions, Mina knew that Kairi had no means of defending herself. Mina hurriedly summoned her Keyblade and hopped off of the balcony. She rolled forward, sticking her arm out to slash through any nearby Heartless.

   The blonde's eyes expanded in size as a hoard of Heartless swarmed around her. She started by cutting through them, but there were simply too many.  _"You know what you have to do, Mina,"_ the familiar voice of Ventus rang in her mind, almost in the form of her internal monologue.

   Nodding, Mina pushed herself further into the crowd of Heartless. "Mina!" Kairi screeched.

   Mina ignored Kairi's call. She raised her Keyblade into the sky before slamming its point into the ground. A tornado of darkness and light was unleashed, picking up the Heartless and shredding them to pieces. Once they were gone, Mina stood up straight. She panted as her adrenaline began to fade. Her ears perked up when she heard Riku's voice. "Take it," he insisted. She turned to see the man hand Kairi a Keyblade of some sort.

   Kairi nodded, holding it carefully in her hands. She took a moment to get used to the weight of it. "This time... I'LL fight!" Kairi enthused. "You know Sora's completely useless without us!" She turned to the man beside her and nodded in Mina's direction. "C'mon, Riku! Let's catch up to Mina!"

   The Princess of Heart threw herself into a trot, swinging her Keyblade at leftover Heartless. Mina found herself softly smiling at Kairi's eagerness and lack of trepidation. The blonde turned back to catch Riku's gaze. She had a hard time remembering that underneath that glamour spell, Riku was in there. She could feel her heart pulling her toward him like a magnet. It was him alright. She just wished she knew how to show Riku that she knew the truth deep down. All Mina could do was give him her world-famous smile in hopes of reinforcing confidence in the boy. Then, Mina turned and joined Kairi, knowing that Riku was right behind her.

   Holding the Heart's Divide in her dominant hand, the blonde heroine gashed and cut through various Heartless. She knew that by doing so, Mina would be unleashing more hearts for the Organization's plan; however, there was no other way. Mina needed to fight—for Sora, for Donald and Goofy, for Kairi, for the King, for Riku, for all of the worlds at stake. Mina knew what had to be done, even if she disliked the idea of it.

   "Magnega! Firaga!" Mina bellowed. She pointed her Keyblade at a swarm of Heartless, somersaulting forward and continuing her fight. Mina whipped around, moving with the utmost of grace. It was fights like these, the ones with countless enemies hurling themselves at her, where Mina was able to showcase her mastery of the art of the Keyblade. Mina was spectacular.

   She flipped herself over, stabbing her Keyblade through another Heartless. Mina arched her back when she felt a Heartless grab at her. She spun around to take care of it, only to discover that someone had protected her. Riku stared at her through Ansem's eyes, a concerned expression on his face. Mina merely nodded promptly at the boy, ensuring that she was fine.

   Riku turned back to the fight. Truth be told, Riku had been scared to reveal himself to Kairi and Sora for a long time; however, strangely, Riku was the most terrified to reunite with Mina out of his three closest friends. After all, Mina had believed in Riku the most throughout their lives. She encouraged him to be the best that he could be. She always understood him better than anything else, even Sora, who was his ultimate best friend.

   With Kairi and Sora, it was always easy to please them. He loved being their friend and he knew it was hard to disappoint them. However, Mina was just... different. Mina knew Riku like the back of her hand. Really, she knew everyone extremely well because it was always easy to open up to her. Mina never stopped fighting for her friends, including Riku. Even in their battle last year, Mina never stopped trying to bring him back to the light.

   In the end, Mina was the one person who Riku was most fearful of disappointing.

   Mina heaved heavily. Her eyes darted around in search of more enemies to conquer. It seemed that there were none left, for the only beings around were her, Kairi, and Riku. The Great Divide turned to Kairi and beamed at her. "Nicely done, Kai!" Mina praised, waving her Keyblade away.

   Kairi was busy taking a breather. It was clear that Kairi's lack of exercise was catching up with her, but Mina was confident that her best friend would be at her, Sora, and Riku's level in no time. "Yeah, you were great, Kairi!" a familiar voice shouted from behind them.

   "Donald?" Mina mumbled to herself.

   "Oh?" Kairi hummed. The teenagers turned to discover Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Kairi smiled and giggled at the compliment. That seemed to be the one habit of Kairi's that never left. That girl was always smiling and giggling.

   Kairi and Sora approached one another. "You  _are_  different, Kairi," insisted Sora, "but I'm just glad you're here."

   "You and Riku never came home, and I didn't know what came of Mina," Kairi revealed. "So I came looking for you."

   A frown pulled down Sora's lips. He looked down, ashamed. "I'm sorry..." trailed off Sora, only to jump in surprise when Kairi burst forward and hugged him as tight as she possibly could. Her arms latched around his waist like it was the missing piece of a puzzle.

   Sora took a moment to register what was happening. His cheeks grew red as Kairi whispered in his ear, "This is real..." Sora smiled and hugged her in return.

   "Aw," Mina gushed. She found herself smiling from ear-to-ear at the reunion of her friends. "Whoa!" She nearly fell over when Donald and Goofy trampled her. "Whoa, whoa! Guys!" Mina cried, laughing uncontrollably.

   "Never do that again!" Donald demanded.

   "Gawrsh, we thought you were gone forward!" Goofy added.

   The two stepped back to allow Mina to breathe. "When will you guys realize," started Mina. She stood up straight, puffing her chest out, "I'm a lot stronger than I let on." She winked at the two and laughed lightly.

   "MINA!" Sora bellowed, grasping the blonde's attention.

   Mina started to turn around. "Huh?" She gasped when she felt Sora's arms wrap around her body, letting out an "Oof!"

   "I knew you were okay! I just knew it! I knew the Organization couldn't make you go dark!" Sora yelled with a big smile. Mina laughed, hugging him just as tightly. "I'm so happy you're okay!"

   "Aw, Sora," Mina teased, pulling away from the hug. She pinched his cheek, gushing, "You're such a baby!" He swatted her hand away with a quiet complaint. "C'mon, you know you can't get rid of me  _that_  easily!" Kairi, Sora, and Mina each chuckled at the comment, along with Donald and Goofy.

   Sora glanced over to spot Riku beginning to open a Corridor of Darkness. His back faced the heroes all around him. "Hey, Ansem!" called Sora. "I mean, Xehanort's Heartless... I never thought for a second that I'd ever see YOU again. Just thinking about all the things you did makes me really mad. But... you saved Kairi, right? And you helped Mina out, didn't you? I have to be grateful for that, so... Thanks."

   Mina held her breath as Riku proceeded to walk away without saying a word. She could almost feel his heart hurting. She wanted to take the pain away from him once and for all.

   "Wait!" Mina shouted without thinking twice. Mina had lost Riku twice before. She wasn't about to let it become thrice. Mina sprinted over to him with lightning speed and grabbed his wrist. "I know it took me a minute to understand what happened to you, but I... I've lost you more than enough times, Riku. I can't lose you again, I just can't!"

   Kairi, who still stood by Sora's side, added, "Riku don't go! Please!"

   The extremely shocked facial expressions that painted Sora, Donald, and Goofy's faces were priceless. Their jaws fell unhinged. Their eyes were wider than the moon. "Huh!? What did you guys just say!?" Sora demanded.

   Ignoring the boy, Kairi insisted, "Riku, please!"

   "I'm no one," Riku snarled in a convincing manner. "Just a castaway from the darkness."

   Mina shook her head. She looked up at him, the back of his head staring back at her. "You're someone to me, Riku," Mina promised with a gentle voice. Mina waited a moment, hoping he would say something. When he didn't, Mina glanced over her shoulder. "Sora, come here! Say something to him, please!"

   Before Sora could react, Kairi took his hand and guided him toward the 16-year-olds. Mina offered Riku's hand out to them. Kairi pushed Sora's hand on top of Riku's. The girls placed their hands on top of Sora's. Mina stared at Sora earnestly. "You trust me, right, Sora?" the Keyblade Master wondered.

   Sora stared hesitantly at Riku before looking back at Mina. He nodded. "Good," continued Mina. "Close your eyes. Everything will make sense. It might take you a minute to understand, but you'll have the answer you're looking for."

   When Sora closed his eyes, Mina knew he could see Riku—the real Riku.

   As Sora opened his eyes, he fell onto his knees. "Riku!" Sora cried. He held Riku's hand with both of his. "It's Riku! Riku's here..." Tears poured out of his eyes violently. Mina draped her arm over Kairi's shoulder, allowing the two to take a step back and give Sora his moment. "I looked for you! We both did! We looked everywhere for you!"

   Riku paused. "I didn't want you to find me," he revealed.

   Goofy turned to Donald. "But it was him who was helpin' us, wasn't it?" wondered the knight. "Those clues we kept finding! That must've been Riku!"

   "I was starting to worry you guys weren't ever gonna catch on. I was banking on Mina figuring out the truth from the clues I left behind, but then I found out she was here," explained Riku. "After all, Sora never did pick the brightest friends outside of us."

   Donald shouted, "What do you mean by that!?"

   "Why didn't you let me know you were okay!?" demanded Sora, ignoring the mage. He stood to his feet again.

   "He told you, Sora," insisted Mina with a sad tone attached to her voice. "He didn't want to be found."

   "She's right," confirmed Riku. He looked down at his hands. "Not like this... I couldn't. I fought with Ansem. With... Xehanort's Heartless—when it invaded my heart, and I won. But to use the power of darkness, I had to become Ansem myself."

   "Does that mean..." trailed off Kairi. "You can't change back?"

   "This battle isn't over," Riku promised. "And until it is, I still need the power of darkness."

   "I'll help you," offered Mina. "I can use the light and darkness together now. I'll teach you!"

   Riku just nodded in her direction. Sora sighed. "Then... let's finish this. You're still Riku, no matter what!" howled Sora. Everyone nodded all around Riku. Sora looked back at his friends. "So how bout it? Think we can handle one last rumble together? The King's waiting!"

   Mina nodded. "Let's do this!" she encouraged.

   Once the gang was outside again, the first thing everyone seemed to notice was a beam of light heading straight into the heart-shaped moon. "What's that?" Sora asked at the same time Mina queried, "What the hell?"

   "It's the King and DiZ—I mean, Ansem the Wise," Riku explained. "They must be higher up. We better hurry."

   Mina and Sora were the first ones to break out into a sprint, used to leading their friends into battle by this point. However, they were stopped by a circle of large cards creating a wall between them and the others. The cards created a circle around them, and when they finally moved, Sora and Mina's friends had vanished. In their place stood a blond-haired Organization member by the name of Luxord.

   "You!" gasped Sora.

   "Bring us back our friends!" fiercely demanded Mina.

   After a tedious and lengthy fight involving cards and perplexing tricks, Mina and Sora managed to defeat the Organization member. Once Luxord was struck down, their friends reappeared like a magic trick.

   Kairi was the first to approach them. "You guys alright?" Kairi queried.

   Sora nodded. "Yeah, no worries!" insisted Sora. He grinned at Mina, giving her a high-five. "Nothing can stop us! Right, Mina?"

   Mina nodded enthusiastically. "Right!" She looked around at her friends. "Now, come on! Let's keep going!"

   One by one by one by one, Mina and the heroes of light were able to take down each Organization member they were confronted by. They each had their tricks and talents—specialties that must have taken years of tremendous training to perfect. Mina, who seemed to have the worst luck and greatest fuel of determination, was forced into every single fight with Sora by her side. Sometimes Donald and Goofy were pulled into the fight, too, but never Riku and Kairi. Riku was more focused on protecting Kairi. It seemed that everyone but the Princess of Heart knew that she was unable to fight tough battles like these, so Mina and Sora had to pick up the extra slack.

   Following the fight against Saïx, Sora looked rather confused. "I don't get it," he admitted. "Why does everyone keep calling me Roxas?"

   Mina frowned at the name. The strings on her heart tugged at the memory of her good friend. "Because, Sora," matter-of-factly said Riku, "Roxas is your Nobody."

   Sora was taken aback. "But that's crazy! I never turned into a Heart..." Sora trailed off. "Oh, right."

   Kairi added, "It was when you and Mina came to rescue me, remember?"

   "I wanted to tell you, Sora," insisted Mina. "But I didn't know how you would take it when we barely knew anything about Nobodies. Roxas became one of my best friends when I was in that fake Twilight Town. It hurt too much to even think of him. He's like..." Mina paused. "He was like my little brother, too."

   Riku placed a comforting hand on Mina's shoulder. "Xemnas was the one who found Roxas. He could use the Keyblade because he was your Nobody," informatively declared Riku. "That's why Xemnas brought him into the Organization—But Roxas betrayed them. After that, I fought him because I thought it would help you wake up. I lost, but the next time we met, I made sure I was the stronger one."

   The blonde gazed down at the ground. She knew that no one could understand her friendship with Roxas. Everyone seemed to know him as a mere Nobody, a lost member of the violent Organization XIII who had been struck down for the sake of Sora's return. It wasn't exactly easy to understand, but he wasn't like other Nobodies. He wasn't like Saïx or Xemnas or any of them. Roxas was a friend—He was  _Mina's_  friend. Roxas was special.

   "Maybe I didn't need to fight him after all," continued Riku. "I think he left the Organization because... he really wanted to meet you."

   Sora trailed off, "Roxas... I wish I could meet him, too..."

   "I think it's better that you didn't," gloomily confessed Mina. She gazed at the ground again as the others inspected her. "That way, your heart doesn't hurt when he's gone." She paused, looking up with a small smile at Sora. "But that's okay. When I'm with you, Sora, it's like Roxas never left." Mina turned to the others in hopes of assuring them that she was okay. "Alright, let's get a move on! Kingdom Hearts isn't going to wait for us!"

 

———

 

   Mina didn't know what to think when she found the King and Ansem the Wise standing around while a newfangled machine proceeded to malfunction right before her very eyes.

   "Your Majesty!" Sora shouted.

   "Sora, the rest is up to you..." Ansem the Wise trailed off as the group approached the duo. "And Roxas—I doubt you can hear me—but... I am sorry." The older man looked down wistfully as the machine shook violently. "My heart is telling me what I must do. Please allow me to do what it says!"

   "No!" the King shouted, only to be pulled back by Riku. "Riku!"

   "His heart's decided. We can't change that," Riku reminded Mickey.

   Mina took a step in front of her friends in a protective manner when Xemnas appeared out of nowhere. Doing so had become an instinct nowadays. "I was wondering who would dare interfere with my Kingdom Hearts," Xemnas mentioned, staring up at the heart-shaped moon. "And look—here you all are. How convenient for me." He paused, staring at the blond man. "Ansem the Wise... You look pathetic."

   "Have your laugh," gravely insisted Ansem the Wise without even giving him a final glance. "I deserve as much for failing to see you for the fool you are."

   "Students do take after their teachers," Xemnas replied sardonically. "Only a fool would be your apprentice. After all, none of this would have happened without you." He extended his arms to the sky. "YOU are the source of all Heartless! It was your research that inspired me to go further than you ever dared."

   "I admit... my disregard brought more chaos to more worlds than one," Ansem the Wise confessed. "But what were YOU seeking? You erased me from the world, only to take my name and continue to research better left forgotten. Is this the answer you've been looking for?"

   Xemnas was quick to respond, "All that and more. I'm carrying on what you yourself began, and I'm creating a brand new world, one heart at a time. I thought you'd praise me, but all you ever do is hold me back. I understand, though. Unlike me, you have a heart. And you're powerless to control it. Consumed, by jealousy you feel toward the student who surpassed you."

   "Xehanort..." reminisced Ansem the Wise. "Foolish apprentice of a foolish man. You have surpassed nothing—only proved how little we both know. We may profess to know the heart, but its essence is beyond our reach. We're both ignorant—as oblivious as when we began. I'm afraid that any world you try to create... Any world of yours... would be an empire of ignorance. That is why you and your creation are destined to fall! We've said enough! Riku, you know what to do!" He looked back to the King. "King Mickey, my friend, forgive me! Farewell!"

   Mina reached out to grab Sora as he attempted to sprint toward Ansem the Wise. Luckily, Riku turned around and held him back. The machine exploded at that moment, and a blinding light was born from it. Mina stepped forward to try and shield her friends from the chaos, only to find that someone had pulled her behind them.

   With a flash of bright white light, Mina and her friends fell onto the ground. She had no idea how long she was on the ground for when she became less disoriented. All she knew was that Ansem the Wise was gone.

   A groan slipped past her lips, feeling a body pressed up against her's. With furrowed eyebrows, Mina adjusted her head to see who laid on the ground with her. An arm was draped over her frame. She quietly gasped upon discovering who had shielded her. She knew it was Riku due to the black cloak he wore, but the difference was that this time, it was actually Riku. His appearance had returned to him!

   "Riku?" Mina croaked. She swallowed her spit as he sluggishly woke up. "Riku!" She pushed his arm off of her in order to hug him tightly. Her arms went over his shoulders, her head buried in the crevice of his neck. "I knew it was you, but it didn't feel right. But this time, you're here." Her words were muffled due to how she refused to move an inch. She felt his arms slowly go around her body as they sat on the ground.

   "Riku!" Sora cheered from nearby. It seemed that the others had snapped back into reality again, too.

   Mina pulled away from her hug hesitantly, smiling from ear-to-ear. She ignored the black fabric that concealed his eyes. "You're back!" Kairi asserted happily.

   "Ansem did say "anything could happen"," pointed out Mickey as Mina offered Riku a hand to stand up.

   Mina hadn't realized how huge her smile was until she felt her cheeks begin to ache. Her cheeks burned subtly, causing her to look away until she could gather herself. "Hey, Riku," called Sora, "you gonna take that off?"

   Riku paused. He hadn't even realized his eyes were still being concealed. "Huh? Oh," he murmured. He reached up and untied the fabric.

   The entire group eagerly observed as Riku pulled it off of his face. The fabric fell limp on the floor, revealing his eyes. He blinked a few times, getting used to the light entering his eyes again. "What was that for anyway?" wondered Mina.

   "His eyes couldn't lie," vaguely answered Mickey.

   "Huh?" Sora replied. He placed his hands on his hips, looking at Riku teasingly. "And just who were you trying to fool? Huh? Huhhh?"

   "Myself," quietly replied Riku.

   Sora shook his head. "C'mon, man! Why did you try to do so much on your own?" questioned the Keyblade Wielder. He motioned to the group. "You've got friends... like us!"

   Riku paused. Mina observed him sparingly. She couldn't stop staring at his sea foam eyes. She didn't realize how much she missed Riku until she saw his face for the first time in person in a long time. "You wanna know why? I'll tell you," insisted Riku. "Because I'm not a total sap like you!"

   Rolling her brown eyes, Mina mentioned, "I find that hard to believe, tough guy!" She grinned as Riku smiled softly at the familiar nickname. Mina's smile fell when she noticed the heart-shaped moon in the sky glowed. Hearts surrounded it. "Holy shit!"

   When they looked down over the edge of the balcony, dozens and dozens of Heartless had begun to invade the castle. They crawled up the walls. They eagerly trampled each other. Mina hadn't seen this many in... well, ever. She couldn't imagine attempting to fight all of them without growing severely weary. She thought 1000 Heartless was tough enough, but what about infinite Heartless? "What should we do, Riku?" asked Sora.

   "We must defeat Xemnas!" declared Riku. "He's the Organization's last survivor."

   Sora nodded. "Right!"

   Riku took a step back, ripping off the black Organization cloak. His normal clothes were revealed instantly, causing Mina's eyes to widen at his exposed, muscular arms. She snapped back into reality seconds later when she felt someone nudging her. Mina turned her head to discover Sora standing beside her, his elbow halfway into her side.

   "Now... Now is so not the time, Sora!" Mina stammered, whispering as she blushed. The Keyblade Wielder just snickered in response. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I will expose you to Kairi so fast if you don't zip it!"

   Sora threw his hands in the air as the others marched further up the castle. "Fair enough," Sora whispered back with a playful tone. Still, he couldn't stop smirking deviously at her. It was enough to cause Mina to smack his arm.

   "Mina! Sora!" shouted Kairi from up ahead. "You comin?"

   "Uh-huh!" Sora confirmed, eagerly nodding.

   "Yes, my love!" Mina mocked, using a deep voice in order to imitate Sora.

   The Keyblade Wielder just shoved Mina to the side with his shoulder. Mina copied the action in response. Mina and Sora snickered as the two raced each other to catch up.

   By the time the group reached the top of the castle, they spotted Xemnas peering up at the evening sky. "My Kingdom Hearts... ruined!" Xemnas bellowed. "Now I'll have to start all over again." He paused, almost as though he managed to sense the heroes of light. "Warriors of the Keyblade!" Xemnas turned to face them. "Go forth, and bring me more hearts!"

   Riku, Mina, Sora, and Mickey stood in a line. They summoned their Keyblade and pointed it at the man, each shouting "No!" at the same time.

   "Geez, you could at least say please," teased Mina. "We don't exactly get paid for this stuff."

   Ignoring Mina's remark, Xemnas continued, "Denizens of light, answer this: Why do you hate the darkness?"

   Mickey lowered his weapon. "Aw, we don't hate it," Mickey insisted. "It's just kinda... scary."

   Mina nodded. "It's terrifying. That's what makes it so powerful," Mina explained. She placed her hand over her heart. "I know I was scared of the natural-born darkness I hold in my heart, but it's my destiny. It's who I am. The world is made of light AND darkness."

   Mickey agreed, "You can't have one without the other, 'cause darkness is half of everything. It's why the Great Divide exists even today!" Mickey added. "Sorta makes ya wonder why we  _are_  scared of the dark."

   "It's because of who's lurking inside of it!" insisted Riku.

   "Then allow me another question," Xemnas urged. "You accept darkness, yet choose to live in the light. So why is it that you loathe us who teeter on the edge of nothing? We who were turned away by both light and dark—never given a choice?"

   "That's simple. It's because you mess up our worlds," Riku answered with ease.

   "That may be..." trailed off Xemnas. "However, what other choice might we have had?"

   Mina shook her head. "Just give it a rest! You're Nobodies!" she yelled.

   Sora nodded in agreement. "You don't even exist! You're not sad about anything!" he rumbled.

   Xemnas laughed menacingly. "Very good. You don't miss a thing," he commented. "I cannot feel—sorrow... No matter what misery befalls the worlds. No matter what you think, what you feel, or how you exist."

   Without another moment to waste away, Xemnas raised his hands and created a magical barrier. And so, the final battle commenced.


	14. The Great Divide

   Everything had finally made sense. Everything that had been thrown in Mina's way was piecing together in her mind—like a puzzle. Every little thing was adding up. All of the fighting, the fear, the training, the tears, the victories... It was all coming together. Everything Mina and her friends had faced in the past two years had led up to this very moment. Mina couldn't have been more prepared for the final battle than she was right now. Yet oddly enough, the Great Divide was scared.

   No, petrified might have been a much better word to use. Her nerves were electrified with nervousness. Mina never got the chance to battle against Ansem last year due to her sacrifice. This was the first time she was experiencing anyone as powerful as the villain standing before her.

   "Guys?" Sora called. Mina snapped her attention toward him, and it was then when she realized that only two of them were transported to this strange battle. But why? Why did Xemnas only summon the two of them? Why not Riku or the King? What about Donald and Goofy?

   Mina turned her head back toward Xemnas, his fists buzzing with electricity. "Sora," began Mina, grasping his attention, "this is it. Are you with me?"

   Sora nodded. "Always," he gravely replied. The two shared a brief nod before making a break for Xemnas.

   There was a tall skyscraper-like building in the place they had been summoned. Mina and Sora wasted no time making hits on Xemnas, but he was tougher than they were prepared for. He made it a habit to use a Dark Shield, deeming him practically invincible against all of Mina and Sora's hits for a brief moment of time. Then, he would transition into a Dual Laser Sword combination of some sort. Mina had never seen anything like it. Following this, he used strange Dark Crystals that seemed to inflict the most damage unto the two Keyblade Wielders.

   Constricting her muscles, Mina found herself more strategic in her technique rather than Sora, who aggressively attacked him. Mina shouted with pain whenever Xemnas would strike her with his dark magic. The pain was nothing like anything she had experienced. It burned her from the outside in, seeping into her pores like Mina's body was a sponge.

   But Mina was quick to recover. She found herself being able to push through the pain. Last year, Mina doubted she'd be able to still be standing on her feet in a fight like this. It made her wonder if she was ever ready to take on Ansem at all last year.

   Mina ducked down as Xemnas swung his weapon at her head, dashing forward and striking from behind. However, Xemnas used his elbow to send her flying backward. Sora burst forward, deflecting his hits before sending a powerful blow unto Xemnas. It was then, many moments later, when Mina realized that they were growing tired.

   Mina was gelatinous with fatigue. Gelatinous seemed to be the proper word for it. Her body seemed to hold the pure weakness of jelly. All sensations seemed to be magnified, and with each hit, Mina found herself lingering on the ground longer and longer.

   Mina propped herself onto the palms of her hands as Sora and Xemnas sprinted up the side of the building. She laid on the cement ground, catching her breath momentarily. Xemnas threw Sora down like he was a fly. If they didn't take Xemnas by surprise, there was no telling how much longer the fight could take, and personally, Mina wasn't sure if she or Sora could stand much longer.

   It was then when Master Yen Sid's voice echoed in her mind, a memory rolling into her subconscious.  _"Once you're able to wield the light and dark as one, you will be able to tear them apart as well without imbalancing your heart. Though I do not recommend this, as it has never been performed successfully,"_ Master Yen Sid had informed long ago in a dream of some kind.

    _"But if I'm in a predicament, I should try doing that, right?"_ queried Mina.

   Master Yen Sid had paused.  _"Yes, but... please do try to stray away from that. It would be a shame for the Great Divide to have come this far only to perish at her own division. Death from ripping oneself apart is a rather gruesome ending, isn't it?"_

   Xemnas stalked toward Mina as she panted heavily on the hard ground. It was menacing how slowly he moved. It was like he was taunting her. "No!" Sora croaked from many feet away. He, too, laid on the cement, debilitated. "Get... Get away from her!"

   Mina peered up at Xemnas. "Any final words before your freedom is extinguished, Great Divide?" Xemnas pettily wondered.

   With a dry voice, Mina snarled, "Yeah... I do." She paused, looking down at the ground again and spitting out blood. Then, she glanced up at Xemnas with a fire burning in her eyes. "Divide!"

   "What—!?"

   Mina's vocal cords vibrated against her throat as a blood-curdling scream was unleashed. She could feel her insides being ripped apart; nerve by nerve, cell by cell. Mina was sure she would fall unconscious, for her screaming couldn't cease long enough for her to inhale or exhale. Blinding darkness and a white light spewed out of her. All Mina could hear blended into her screams was Sora's shouts of worry.

   When the darkness and the light faded away, standing before Xemnas and Sora were two entities that resembled Mina in contrasting ways.

   The first one had Sora convinced he was looking at an angel of some kind. Her blonde hair fell down in waves. Her clothes were white and her entire body seemed to glow with light, excluding her eyes. The woman's eyes were black holes of nothing. Darkness seeped out of them. In her hand was a black version of Mina's Keyblade, more darkness surrounding it.

   The second one was a figure of absolute darkness. Her hair and clothes were midnight black. Contrarily, the girl's eyes were white. They glowed with light. In her hand was a white version of Mina's Keyblade.

   "No way," Sora whispered to himself, now standing.

   Xemnas's golden eyes held astonishment. "I don't believe it...!" he yelled as the two figures stood before him.

   Silently, they sprinted toward Xemnas. Sora couldn't help but watch the Great Divide at work. He was trying to wrap his head around what he had just witnessed. Did... Did Mina just tear herself in half?

   The figures fought against Xemnas with three times more strength and power than ever before. Magic slid off of their Keyblades and their attacks hit harder than Xemnas could have hoped. It wasn't long before they did a finishing combo on the man. The two versions of Mina stood on either side of Xemnas, joining hands and releasing a powerful magic attack.

   Xemnas went falling onto the ground, writhing in pain. His body was limp and unmoving as the two entities joined bodies once more. Mina was quickly returned back to her normal, human state. She looked like a hot mess. Her skin was translucent, her muscles feeling like wet noodles. Her heart raced rapidly against her chest as Mina stood over Xemnas.

   Mina glanced over her shoulder to see Sora standing. It seemed that he had just caught his breath after what had just occurred before his eyes. "Ow..." trailed off Mina in between heavy inhales and exhales.

   "Mina! What... What  _was_  that?" Sora called from a few feet behind her.

   She shrugged. "Beat... Beats me," she stammered. Mina looked down at Xemnas. She tilted her head to the side when she noticed darkness still swirling around his cold body. Then, without warning, Xemnas jumped onto his feet and clamped his hand around Mina's neck before creating a Corridor of Darkness and vanishing with the blonde.

   "Mina!" Sora called. He took a step forward, but that seemed to be as far as he could go. He felt dizzy, his surroundings wavering and shaking.

   "Sora! Where are you!?"

   Sora gasped. "Huh?" He looked around, trying to figure out where Kairi's voice had just come from.

   "Mina, answer me! Sora!"

   Was that Riku?

   Suddenly, the Keyblade Wielder was teleported out of the strange, dream-like environment he was in and dropped onto the ground of where his friends had been waiting. He faceplanted onto the ground, barely managing to extend his hands to support himself.

   "Sora!" Riku called. The sound of footsteps entered his ears. He slowly stood up, seeing Riku, Kairi, the King, Donald, and Goofy standing before him.

   "You're okay!" claimed Mickey.

   "Where's Mina?" demanded Kairi.

   Sora looked between them all, his head still spinning. Instead of answering, he replied with a question. "Where's Xemnas?" interrogated Sora. "He... He took her!"

   Donald gasped and looked around, only to notice a figure floating before the heart-shaped moon that glowed with darkness and stolen hearts. Beside the figure was a floating body that laid as though she were on an invisible bed. She must have been unconscious or frozen by cursed magic. "There!" Donald shouted, pointing upward.

   "Hear me, Kingdom Hearts!" Xemnas's voice came from the sky. It was a wonder the gang could hear them from the rooftop of the castle. "It seems we must begin anew. Ah, but know this: I will give to you as many hearts as it takes. Mark my words! You can no more be complete without me than I without you. Heed me, Kingdom Hearts! Let me your power, so that we may be complete! The power to erase the fools that hinder us."

   He paused, his arms extended toward the sky. "Here, I offer you a sacrifice! By unleashing her fullest potential, I am able to offer to thee the heart of the Great Divide, which holds many hearts from her ancestors who once shared the same power. This must be enough to satisfy you for now, won't it, my Kingdom Hearts?"

   Mickey gasped. "Xemnas, no!"

   Riku clenched his fists. "Let her go!" he roared furiously.

   "Hearts quivering with hatred..." Xemnas trailed off. Mina's body floated silently beside him.

   "Xemnas, don't!" Sora chimed in.

   "Hearts burning with rage..." continued Xemnas.

   "You'll never win!" Donald screamed.

   "Hearts scarred by envy..." Xemnas added. "That fool Ansem said the heart's true nature was beyond his understanding. But it's not beyond mine! Hearts are the source of all power!"

   "I'm sorry, are you done yet?"

   Xemnas gasped, falling silent. "What's going on?" Kairi asked her friends, unable to see or hear why Xemnas had ceased his incessant monologuing.

   Mickey was about to reply to Kairi that he was unsure, only to be interrupted by Mina shouting, "I am SICK and TIRED of being KIDNAPPED! That shit is ANNOYING! BACK THE FUCK OFF!" A light seemed to explode from between the girl and Xemnas once she finished shouting.

   "Is that...?" trailed off Riku.

   Sora grinned wildly. "I knew it," he whispered.

   When they looked closer, it seemed the Xemnas had disappeared, as well as Mina. "Where did she go?" Goofy wondered, squinting up at the moon.

   A thud was heard from behind them, followed by a series of coughing. "Christ!" croaked out a girl. The six individuals that had been watching the show from the roof spun around, discovering the blonde Keyblade Master standing on her knees. Her hands were placed flat on the floor as she regained her strength.

   "Mina!" Kairi yelled, dashing for the blonde. She stood over Mina as their friends joined her side.

   Riku and Sora wrapped an arm around her side, helping her stand. "I'm fine!" she coughed out, rubbing the side of her neck. She could feel a bruise forming from when Xemnas held her in a chokehold. She attempted to step away from the two boys, only to stumble forward.

   "You're obviously not, Mina," sternly said Riku. His arm was snaked around her waist, holding her steady.

   Sora stood in front of the blonde, a furious expression on his face. "What were you thinking!? You could've died!" Sora protectively scolded. "You were reckless, Mina! That was completely reckless! What is the matter with you!?"

   "Calm down, Sora! What happened?" Kairi asked worriedly. "She's pale as a ghost!"

   "I'm not sure," Sora admitted. He paused. "It was like the light and dark in her heart took form as two different people. It was insane."

   "The Great Divide," Mickey said with a gasp. "You divided yourself in half... and lived?"

   Mina swallowed her saliva again in order to lubricate her throat. "Y...Yeah, I guess," admitted Mina. She tried to take another step forward, adding, "But I'm fine. I can keep going! I—"

   Riku simply pulled her back. He was physically much stronger than she was, and Mina was extremely fatigued, which just made the action seem as though she were ragdoll. "Don't even think about it," the silver-haired teenager told her.

   "But—"

   "Riku's right," interjected Mickey. "No holder of the Divide has been able to do that successfully and live to tell the tale. What you did was dangerous. I'm surprised your heart wasn't left unbalanced."

   Mina shrugged. "I told you guys it's gonna take more to get rid of me," she attempted to joke. She looked up at the sky where she and Xemnas were once floating. "You can't hide from us, Xemnas! I'm gonna kick your ass again for trying to sacrifice me to Kingdom Hearts, I swear!"

   Mickey nodded. "We're not gonna let him get away this time!"

   Kairi gasped, looking over in another direction. "Look at that!" she cried, pointing out to something.

   They observed as a set of double doors materialized before them. It was large and white with intricate designs all over it. The group walked toward it, Mina having to take a second longer than the others because Riku had to help keep her steady. "What's goin' on?" wondered Goofy.

   King Mickey stared up at the door. "Kingdom Hearts..." trailed off the King.

   "Let's go," Riku insisted. "Xemnas must be inside."

   "The worlds gave us this doorway," mentioned Mickey. "They want us to be the guardians of their destiny!" Sora nodded.

   "Once we go through, there's no turning back," Mina pointed out. "It's victory... or oblivion."

   "I'm sorry, who the hell is "we"?" demanded Riku, staring down at the blonde. "You're not going anywhere! You're standing down, whether you like it or not."

   "But—!"

   "You can't even stand up on your own, Mina," argued Sora.

   "He's right," added Riku. "It looks like you've already weakened Xemnas tremendously. Let us finish him off." Mina opened her mouth to argue, only to fall quiet. She nodded in defeat. They were right. Riku glanced over at Sora. "Are you ready?"

   Sora nodded. Kairi, Donald, and Goofy took a few steps back while Sora, Mickey, Riku, and Mina summoned their Keyblades once more. Mina needed to lean against Sora in order to use her dominant hand as they joined the tips of their weapons together. Together, the four Keyblade Wielders opened up the doors.

   "Get ready, Xemnas," Sora threatened. "It ends here!"

   Together, the large group made their way up the newly emerged steps and entered through the doors. Mina leaned against Kairi this time as they walked. The Keyblade Master used her Keyblade as a walking cane. Almost immediately, they all spotted Xemnas. It looked like he was weakened greatly, yet he managed to put up a good front.

   "So... it seems your hearts have led you to obliteration," Xemnas coolly declared. "Perhaps it doesn't pay to be too loyal to one's heart. I will have to be sure and remember that."

   Mina's brown eyes widened remarkably when she noticed a building in front of them proceed to tumble down, breaking into two pieces. She took a few steps backward before throwing Kairi behind her through the doors they had just walked through. Mickey seemed to have fallen through in the process, too.

   "No!" Riku yelled as the doors fell shut, leaving Kairi and Mickey on the other side.

   Mina gritted her teeth. "Just my luck," she muttered, standing tall. She raised her voice, "We can take him on our own! Let's go!"

   "Mina..." trailed off Sora.

   She shook her head. "We don't have time, Sora!" Mina snapped. She bit back a wince of pain as she moved forward, leading the group of four behind her. "Let's go!"

   Without another word against it, the four hurried after the Keyblade Master.

 

———

 

   When the second fight against Xemnas commenced, they returned back to the castle rooftop where Mickey and Kairi had been waiting. Before them all kneeled the villainous man as he gasped for air. "I need... more rage..." trailed off Xemnas. "I need more... hearts..."

   "You need... better hobbies," mocked Mina through gritted teeth. She felt like she was on the brink of losing consciousness. She was more than exhausted. She needed to lay down for a year and recover again. Mina had truly overexerted herself this time.

   "Xemnas, there's more to a heart than just anger or hate," Sora told him. "It's full of all kinds of feelings. Don't you remember?"

   "Unfortunately... I don't," whispered Xemnas. With that being said, his entire body seemed to disappear into nothingness.

   Once he was gone, everyone seemed to naturally assume that the fight was over. Goofy and Donald jumped up and down, exhilarated that the battle had concluded. Kairi bounced on the balls of her feet happily. Meanwhile, Mina dropped onto the floor, overcome with pure lassitude.

   "Gosh," said Mickey, "you all did great!"

   "Thanks, your Majesty," mumbled Mina, "but I'm ready to go home and sleep forever."

   Kairi laughed and shook her head. She offered the blonde a hand up, which the girl reluctantly took. "C'mon, lazy bones," teased Kairi with a wink. "It's time to go home."

   Sora walked toward Riku, who had taken a few steps away from them. "You're coming back with us, right?" Sora asked.

   "I had given into the darkness," Riku immediately answered. Sora's eyebrows furrowed together.

   "Riku..." trailed off Sora.

   "How am I gonna face everyone?" Riku continued.

   Sora paused before grinning and making a silly face. "Like this!"

   Riku stared at him for a few seconds, an uncontrolled laugh leaving his lips. He couldn't help himself. Sora just looked so ridiculous! Mina and Kairi shared a laugh, too, only imagining the kind of face Sora had pulled in order to get a chuckle out of Riku.

   The girls gasped as the ground beneath them shook. "We've got to hurry," Mina insisted. The group came together again.

   Riku nodded. "I'll open up a path," he decided. He extended his arm, his palm opened. When nothing happened, Riku stared at his hand in confusion.

   "You don't belong in the dark realm anymore, Riku," Mickey reminded him. Mina smiled at the idea of this revelation.

   Donald turned to the King. "How do we get out of here, your Majesty?" wondered Donald.

   The others looked around unsurely at one another. Without warning, a Corridor of Darkness opened up behind them. Everyone spun around at the unexpected feeling of nearby darkness. That was how they discovered the portal. Kairi quietly gasped, but Mina was just as confused as Riku, the King, the mage, and the knight.

   Donald and Mickey ran toward the portal. "Who did this?"

   "I'm not sure, Donald," admitted Mickey. "But we'd better hurry and get through!" The two nodded at the conclusion, looking to face the others.

   Mina glanced back at Kairi, noticing the specific look in her eyes. Kairi turned to face Mina. "Naminé..." whispered Kairi.

   That same dog from before ran forward, barking enthusiastically. Then, he ran through the portal. "Wait for me!" yelped Goofy, hurrying forward after the other dog. Mickey dashed in after the knight, followed by Donald.

   Mina, Kairi, and Sora inched forward. "Thanks, Naminé," mentioned Kairi.

   Mina furrowed her eyebrows. She was unsure as to why she couldn't see Naminé until she looked closer. Naminé stood directly in front of Sora in a ghostly manner. Her body was transparent, but she was there nonetheless.

   "Sure," kindly replied Naminé with a soft smile. Mina looked into her eyes. The emptiness in those blue irises were familiar to her. Naminé looked to Sora. "See? We meet again, like we promised."

   "Huh?" Sora wondered.

   "You said we'd meet again, but when we did," started a new voice. Mina's eyes widened as a transparent boy stepped out from Sora's body, "we might not recognize each other."

   "I did, didn't I," replied Naminé shyly.

   "But I knew you," Roxas continued. Mina stared at him in shock, tears spilling out of her eyes.

   "Mmm... it's strange," mentioned Naminé.

   "I think I understand," admitted Roxas. "I see myself the way you remember me. And you see yourself the way I remember you." He paused, just now seeing Mina stand beside him. His jaw fell unhinged upon noticing her.

   "When did you get so wise?" Mina wondered with a bittersweet tone.

   Roxas flicked his lips into a soft smile. "I didn't get wiser. I'm just getting smarter than you, grandma!" Roxas playfully retorted.

   Mina shook her head, wiping her own tears. "Yeah, right."

   Naminé hummed. "I always thought Nobodies were doomed to fade back into darkness..." she trailed off.

   "Yeah, but you and I didn't," Roxas pointed out. "You and I got to meet our original selves."

   "So, we can be together again!" exclaimed Naminé cheerfully.

   Roxas walked to Naminé's side. "Right," he insisted. "Anytime Sora and Kairi are together."

   Kairi nodded. "We'll be together every day. Right, Sora?" the Princess of Heart insisted.

   Sora's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. "Uh... yeah!" he promised.

   "That way, you and Mina can always be together, too, Roxas," Kairi said to Roxas, who nodded happily and enthusiastically. She turned to Naminé. The blonde walked forward as Kairi extended her hand. Together, the girls touched palms, causing Naminé to become absorbed into the princess.

   Mina puffed her cheeks out, running a hand through her hair. She turned to Roxas, who had been staring at her with the same smile as before. "You know I love you, right?" Mina told him. "No matter what happens."

   Roxas flashed a grin at her—the one he seemed to reserve only for his close friends. "I love you, too, Mina," Roxas assured her. "This isn't goodbye, remember?"

   "I know," she mumbled. "I'm always with you."

   Roxas nodded, placing a hand over where his heart should have been. "In here," he told her. He pointed a hand to his head. "And in here. Day and night, the dreams are all the same, right?" The teenager nodded. She watched as Roxas turned to Sora, who just looked incredibly confused. "Look sharp!"

   Sora straightened up his posture as Roxas shut his eyes, becoming absorbed by Sora's heart once more. Mina shook her head while Sora looked at his hands, puzzled. He patted himself down. Riku walked over to his friends. "Don't worry," insisted Riku. "You're still you."

   Mina wiped away another tear. "I'm so tired of crying," she mumbled shyly.

   Riku, Sora, and Kairi gently laughed. "Come on," called Kairi, now standing by the Corridor of Darkness. "Let's go home!"

   Mina nodded. She looked back at Riku with glassy eyes. "You're coming with us, right?" she softly wondered.

   Riku stared at her for a moment. Even if he wasn't, Riku knew he would have a hard time saying no to her. He nodded. "I wouldn't miss it for the end of the world," Riku promised her.

   "Well, I hate to break it to you, but that's kinda happening right now," joked Mina. She looked between Sora and Riku and nodded. "You two are tough, but the fight's over. Thank goodness." She backed away toward the Corridor of Darkness. "I'll see you guys on the flip side, alright? Don't take too long!"

   Kairi smiled walked into the portal. Mina followed after her. She glanced over her shoulder, hoping to see her friends trailing behind them. Her smile dropped when she noticed that the portal was fading.

   "Riku! Sora!" Mina shouted, extending her arm out to them. "No!"

   But the portal had closed before Riku and Sora could make it through.


	15. One Sky, One Destiny

   We dream in colors borrowed from the sea. Sky above, sand below, and peace within bring out our most tranquil selves, for an ocean breeze puts a mind at ease without fail. The beach seems to symbolize absolute peace. The way the roars of the waves erupted as they slap the white sand, creating a clear dividing line of the shore; the way the sun reflected beautifully against the salty waters no matter what time of day it is—it all symbolizes a better time... a time away from all stressors and more pressing priorities.

   The beach was the place to be if one wanted to simply relax and keep to themselves. It was serene, idyllic. Nothing could break the harmony that the beach orchestrated. That is if you exclude the endless shouts of Keyblade Master Mina.

   "They're dead, Kairi! They're totally dead! They're dead and it's all our faults! Maybe if we were just a little faster, then maybe the portal wouldn't have closed. Then, Sora and Riku would be here with us on the islands just like we all dreamed of. But nooo! Things just never go according to plan nowadays!"

   Kairi stared up at her best friend in amusement. A strand of her lengthening red hair was being twirled between her long fingers. She sat in the sand, leaning against her free arm as it dug further into the ground. The sun gleamed directly into her blue-violet eyes.

   "How long has she been going on like this?" King Mickey wondered quietly to Kairi, who had also been sitting beside her on her right. On her left, Donald and Goofy were chatting regarding getting a Gummi Ship to fly home.

   Kairi hummed. "You know, I'm not so sure, your Majesty," admitted Kairi with a giggle. Mickey chuckled, joining Donald and Goofy in their conversation off to the side regarding the Gummi Ship.

   The group of five had arrived on Destiny Islands approximately four hours ago. It had been early in the afternoon, and everyone was downright exhausted. Mina and Kairi had simply laid on the beach, sharing stories and discussing details about what they had missed while they regained their energy. However, now that Mina was feeling much better, she couldn't seem to sit still.

   "What if they never come back home? What if we have to—?"

   "Mina, for the love of God, shut up!" cried Kairi, grasping the 16-year-old girl's attention. Mina, who had been pacing back and forth, stared at Kairi. She looked surprised. It seemed that she hadn't anticipated anyone interrupting her. "Stressing yourself out isn't going to help at all. Trust me, I did that all the time once I started remembering who Sora was, and wondering what happened to you and Riku. Just... Come sit with me."

   The Princess of Heart patted the spot to the left of her. Mina hesitated for a moment, not particularly wanting to sit down and wait around for something to happen. "You've had a long journey, M," continued Kairi. "Just sit with me for a little. It's about time you get off your feet for once anyway."

   Mina inhaled and exhaled sharply. "Alright..." trailed off the blonde. She dragged her feet through the sand and plopped herself onto the ground. She hugged her knees against her chest, contrasting how Kairi sat with her legs stretched outward.

   "See?" Kairi asked, looking back at Mina. "Isn't this nice? Just sitting and looking out at the water?"

   Mina paused. "Yeah," admitted Mina. "It's been too long since we just sat around on the island and did nothing." She frowned. "I'm worried, Kairi."

   "Believe me, I know," teased Kairi. She placed her hand over the older girl's. "Hey, don't worry. It's Sora and Riku we're talking about. They'll be fine."

   Mina puffed her cheeks out. "How do you know?" queried the blonde.

   Kairi shrugged. "I don't," she revealed. She looked back out at the water. "But I trust them. They wouldn't stop fighting for a second if it meant coming back home to their favorite best friends." Mina laughed in agreement. "Speaking of the boys, what's going on with you these days?"

   Mina's eyebrows shot upward. It seemed that her cheeks had instantly begun to burn up. "H-Huh?" stuttered Mina. "What do you mean?"

   Laughing lightheartedly, Kairi turned to face Mina again. "Don't tell me you've been traveling far and wide just to have no love life," pleaded Kairi. When Mina didn't reply, Kairi groaned out in annoyance. She leaned on the blonde's shoulder. "Come on, M. Are you serious? You're seriously  _hot_  and there are no boys that have caught your eye?"

   Mina rolled her eyes. "You're crazy, Kai. I've spent every waking moment for the past year looking for my friends and saving the universe!" insisted Mina. She adjusted her sitting position so that she could cross her legs over one another as a kindergartener would. "You sound like Sora right now."

   "Sora?" repeated Kairi in confusion. "Pray tell, my dear friend."

   "It's nothing interesting, I swear," insisted Mina. She was glad she had Kairi by her side. Mina wasn't sure how long she would last wondering where her friends were if Kairi wasn't around to keep her company. "Sora just made it a habit to tease me about having a crush on Ri—" Mina interrupted herself mid-sentence, knowing exactly what saying his name would do to Kairi. However, it seemed that Mina was a second too late.

   Kairi's eyes widened exponentially. "Shut up!" she shouted. "No way! You have a crush on R—?"

   Mina slapped her hand over Kairi's mouth. "No, I don't!" shouted the blonde. Kairi gave the Keyblade Master a pointed look. "I mean it, Kai! I didn't want to say his name because I knew how you'd act. I promise you I don't have a crush on R..." She paused, sighing in order to collect herself. "I don't have a crush on him."

   Pushing Mina's hand off of her face, Kairi teased, "Then why can't you say his name without getting flustered?"

   "I'm not flustered!" immediately squealed Mina. "Until right about now, I haven't even had  _time_  to think about having a crush on anyone,  _especially_  him of all people!"

   Kairi grinned mischievously. "C'mon, M. Just say his name! Ri-ku," insisted Kairi, separating his name by the syllables of it. Kairi nudged her. "You can't lie to me, Mina. I know you. Plus, you're totally blushing."

   Mina shook her head. "I'm gonna shove a handful of sand down your throat if you don't shut up," denied Mina. Kairi pouted, jutting out her lower lip. "Pout all you want, Kai. I'm not gonna lie to you for your own satisfaction."

   Kairi pouted for a moment longer, only to be disappointed when Mina didn't budge. Maybe Mina didn't have a crush on the silver-haired boy after all... "Hm, fine," Kairi said in defeat. "But I think it'd be cute. Plus, now that we're back, maybe I can set you up with someone... whether or not that someone is Riku depends on whenever you open your heart to the idea."

   Shaking her head, Mina looked down at the sand beside her. She dragged her finger through it while Kairi looked out to the ocean. The sun was slowly, but surely setting. "I don't have time for boys," admitted Mina. "All I need are my friends."

   "Wait a second..."

   "I'm serious, Kai!" Mina insisted. She drew out the shape of four stick figures. "Maybe I'll just live vicariously through you and your line of potential suitors."

   "Shut up about that, M!" exclaimed Kairi. "Look!"

   "Huh?" Mina looked up from the ground. Her eyes instantly landed on two streaks of light falling from the sky, reminding the blonde of shooting stars. "What the hell is that?"

   "Shooting stars? But it's not even night yet..." trailed off Kairi. She stared at the streaks of light for a moment longer, not even realizing that Mina had stood up. Mina ran forward to investigate, her Keyblade already in her hand. "Wha—Mina, wait up!"

   Kairi rose, digging her heels into the sand before sprinting behind the blonde. She stopped at the shoreline, but it looked like Mina was running further into the ocean. "What's going on?" Goofy wondered from behind Kairi.

   "I-I don't know!" admitted Kairi. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Mina, stop! We don't know what that is! It could be dangerous!"

   Mina merely ignored the redhead. Her shoes became entirely soaked as the water climbed up her calves. In one hand was Mina's Keyblade. The tip of it dipped into the salty ocean. Meanwhile, her other hand was held above her eyes that squinted to make out the shapes of what had just fallen from the sky. The setting sun sat on the horizon, the calmness that faced the islands being disrupted by the unidentified objects.

   Mina's heart raced. Something in her was hoping desperately that the two things that had fallen from the sky had something to do with Sora and Riku. She had to know if it was them. And if not, then what could it possibly be? Was it dangerous? Was it a message from the Organization—a message that said the darkness wasn't quite defeated yet? Was it—?

   "Oh my God!" Mina shouted. She waved her Keyblade away. Her heart practically stopped in her body upon spotting two heads pop out from the ocean. Mina recognized them anywhere—their brown and silver hair, the light that shined off of their bodies. "It's them! It's them!"

   Seconds later, the information seemed to click in Kairi's head. "Sora! Riku!" called Kairi, waving her arms eagerly.

   Mina watched as Sora and Riku swam toward the shore. The blonde made her way deeper in the water, not caring that her clothes were becoming soggy. The first person that Mina could latch onto was the boy she saw as a little brother.

   "Sora!" Mina cried with a wide smile on her face.

   "Mina!" Sora copied. She tackled the brunette, bringing him onto his knees. Mina threw her arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly as she possibly could. The two laughed excitedly, overfilled with joy to be reunited.

   Without warning, Donald and Goofy jumped in on the hug, as well. The four squeezed the life out of each other, dragging one another further into the water.

   Pulling away from the hug, Mina placed her hands on Sora's cheeks. He reached up, placing one of his hands on top of her's. For just a moment—just a split second—Sora's appearance shifted and Mina could have sworn Roxas was standing before her. Mina shook her head. "It took you long enough, twerp!" Mina cried out, pulling her hands away from the boy. "I was worried we'd have to go save your asses!"

   Sora laughed, proceeding to splash the blonde with water. "Yeah, right!" Sora fired back. "You'd never go on an adventure without me!"

   "You kept us waiting for so long!" added Donald, refusing to let go of the Keyblade Wielder. The mage and the knight clung onto either side of Sora, leaving Mina to stand directly in front of him.

   Mina furrowed her eyebrows together.  _Someone was missing._ She looked up, discovering Riku grinning as he greeted King Mickey just a few paces away in the water. "Riku!" she hollered out.

   Riku perked up at the sound of his name. His reaction timing, for once, was delayed by just a few seconds. One moment, he was kneeling beside Mickey, but the next, he was being tackled onto the ocean floor by a small blonde teenager.

   Similar to her reunion with Sora, Mina's arms went around Riku's neck and leaned on his shoulders. The taller teenager fell back momentarily, recovering quickly. Riku's arms snaked around her waist, Mina nuzzled her face in his neck, and their bodies shook with laughter. "Did you think I forgot about you, tough guy?" Mina queried, pulling away to face the silver-haired boy.

   "As if," answered Riku. "You can't seem to stay away!"

   Mina shook her head, unable to wipe the smile from her face. She hummed with satisfaction. "We're home," she softly said, taking a step away from him. She looked back at the others, seeing Sora and Kairi chatting.

   Kairi, who had overheard the blonde, looked up. "You're all home," added Kairi with a smile.

   Mina, Sora, and Riku each trudged out of the water. They were soaked entirely. Their hair and clothes stuck to their skin, the taste of salt present on their tastebuds. Mina looked between the four, noticing how the redhead was the only one who was still dry. Maybe after all this time, Kairi was the smartest one in the group in the end.

   Kairi took a step back when Mina tried to approach her. "As much as I love you, M, you better stay away if you know what's good for you," Kairi weakly threatened. "You're totally soaked!"

   Mina, Sora, and Riku each exchanged glances between one another. The trio of heroes wore matching smirks, like they had managed to read each other's minds. Kairi eyed them suspiciously.

   "What are you guys—AAH!" Kairi squealed as Sora grabbed her. He engulfed her in a tight hug, allowing Mina and Riku to trap her further in their grasp. They soaked her from head-to-toe. Laughing uncontrollably, Kairi shook her head. "Stop it, stop it! Okay! Okay, truce!"

   The trio, who each seemed to be significantly stronger physically than Kairi, took the hint and backed off. They laughed at the sight of poor Kairi. "You look great, Kai!" insisted Mina, giggling.

   "Ha-ha," sarcastically replied Kairi, keeping her tone light.

   "No," spoke up Riku. He tapped his finger against his chin, thinking for a few seconds. "Something's still not right."

   Kairi tilted her head to the side. "What do you—RIKU!" she shouted as the silver-haired boy picked her up. He threw her over his shoulder and marched toward the ocean. "Riku, put me down!" She hit his back, though it didn't seem to harm him very much.

   Mina and Sora chuckled at this, seeing how Riku dunked Kairi into the ocean. Sora had to lean on Mina for support as he howled with laughter. "Guys!" Kairi yelled. She hummed. "Alright, alright, you had your laughs. Give me a hand, Riku?"

   Riku nodded, leaning down and offering a hand out to the redhead. Without warning, Kairi grinned and splashed him right in his face. Sora and Mina gasped, but their shock turned into continued cackles once they noticed Riku's surprised face.

   "Hey!" Riku yelled.

   "Gotcha!" Kairi cheered, splashing him again. Riku immediately splashed her back when he realized that Sora and Mina were still standing on the shoreline, laughing hysterically at the two.

   Riku nodded toward the two, causing Kairi to nod in understanding. The two began to splash the Keyblade Wielders. "Oh, you're asking for it!" Sora shouted.

   "You have no idea what you're asking for!" added Mina. "Let's get 'em, Sora!"

   And so, the four heroes of light proceeded to splash one another in the waters of Destiny Islands. Laughter and cheer were shed into the skies, and finally, for the first time, all was well.

   And for the first time in a long time, Mina felt like she could finally rest. The journey had been long and tedious, and Mina wasn't even entirely sure that it was completely over. But that didn't matter.

   After all, there are many worlds, but they all share the same sky—one sky, one destiny.

 

 

**_END OF ACT ONE_ **


End file.
